BadgeQuest
by Cyberwraith9
Summary: It's five years after Ash Ketchum set out on his first adventure.  Now, though, adventures are few and far between in Kanto, and life seems...dull.  What kind of adventures lay out beyond the waters of Pokémon Island?
1. The Journey's Just Begun

=Author's Note=  
First off, I'd like to thank someone for taking enough pity on me to read my material; thank you. Now, what I'm writing here is a series of stories called "BadgeQuest. I would love it if someone would like to send me his or her two cents on the story; the more you people complain, the better my writing will get (hopefully). Send any flames or compliments to Cyberwraith9@yahoo.com.  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not owned by me. Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.  
  
BadgeQuest #1  
The Journey's Just Begun  
  
The sun shone bright on the warm, beautiful June day. Vermilion City Bay's waters sparkled, gleaming in the bright, blinding brilliance. The monsoon season had just past, and people everywhere were ready for the sun to shine again. All over the open seaport, signs of summer were in full blossom as the Butterfree trilled, the Sea Pidgeys sang their songs of love, and the Magikarp played tag with the Goldeen.  
  
It was rated as one of the best (and also most romantic) bays on the entire island. Couples traveled hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles, and from every walk of life, just to spend an evening walking on the starlit beach with one another. There was no opportunity for moonlit beach walks now, however; just fun in the sun. It was the perfect day for a swim, a run on the beach, or even a leisurely boat ride. Schooners raced one another as the bay became crowded with private yachts and their pleasure-seeking owners. Many such boats were out on the water that day...but not all the sailors had fun and sun on their minds.  
  
A pair of silhouetted figures rode atop a massive yacht's wheelhouse, feeling very proud of themselves. After years of failure, setback, and just plain screwing-up, they had finally succeeded in doing what they did worst. Though despicable to the rest of the world, their jobs, their 'lives', were all they knew and all they aspired to...it was a shame they were rotten at what they did.  
  
"Prepare for trouble..." one started. The woman who had spoken folded her arms defiantly across the blazing red 'R' emblem embroidered into her pristine, cream colored jacket. Though bulky and cumbersome, the jacket did far more to hide her obvious feminine attributes from the world than her black sports bra, silken white mini-skirt and knee-length black boots with stiletto heels.  
  
"And make it double," the other added. Her partner took a similar stance, a devilish smirk finding its way onto his delicately handsome features. He, too, was dressed in a black/white ensemble. However, his clothes were (thankfully) less revealing; a similar, spotless white jacket, gleaming white trousers, black combat boots and a dark undershirt.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation-" Her crimson shaft of hair whirled around her as she spun dramatically, arms akimbo. It was almost as if the entire world revolved around the remarkably beautiful woman, blossoming out from her radiant aura. With the way she felt just now, it very well could have been.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation-" The other knelt on one knee and pulled a rose from his jacket, his blue hair swaying in the breeze. Twirling the rose between his fingers, he raised the flower triumphantly into the air.  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love-"  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above-"  
  
"Jessie..." the corners of her rose-petal lips rose into a smirk as she prepared for the grand finale to their rhyming anthem, taking several steps back to the rear of the wheelhouse's edge.  
  
"James..." Tossing the rose up, he performed a flawless reverse hand-flip, landing squarely on his feet and catching the exotic flower between his teeth.  
  
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light-"  
  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" The end to the motto echoes across the peaceful bay, creating an almost oppressive atmosphere...at least until a high-pitched, grating voice interrupted their posturing. "Will you two knock it off?"  
  
Jessie scowled and stomped on the wheelhouse. "Be quiet, Meowth! How is our motto supposed to have the desired effect when you're screeching like that?"  
  
"What effect? Der's no one around ta hear us!!!" The talking cat stood on its hind legs within the small control cabin, keeping the boat on course as he wailed in frustration. Years of working with these two moronic humans hadn't made them any smarter, despite his best efforts to the contrary. It was enough to make a Pokémon cry, or at least put a few puncture marks into the cause of his headaches. "Just check on da stash. Knowing you two, you'd let it drop overboard!" Meowth shrieked in his thick Brooklyn accent.  
  
The duo dropped from the roof of the wheelhouse onto the deck, landing gracefully despite the slippery surface. Together, they went over to a large metal basket secured to the deck and covered with a large tarp. Inside the wire bucket were several dozen red and white Pokémon capture/storage/retrieval spheres, more commonly known as Pokéballs. Each of the balls contained something more valuable than any amount of money could ever hope to achieve, something that meant the world to a select few among the masses; a Pokémon. These particular Pokémon had been stolen from the Water Trainers' Conference being held in the Vermilion City Pokémon Center that very day, right from under all the trainers' collective noses. The selection and variety was unparalleled; Polywhirls, Seadras, Crabbys...indeed, and water type imaginable rested in the basket, stored in their more mobile forms of pure energy.  
  
James giggled madly, his laughter mimicking that of a gleeful schoolgirl. "The Boss will reward us handsomely for all of these!" he squealed, dreaming up hopeless possibilities. He sifted his fingers through the basket carefully, so as not to accidentally toss one overboard and lose it to the sea. "Maybe he'll make us his second in command, or-"  
  
The drone of a motor interrupted his delusions, snapping James back to reality. Suspicious of the new sound, Jessie and James turned their heads in unison towards the source of the noise. They didn't like what they saw; A mysterious black speedboat was closing on them rapidly, cutting through the water like a demon and kicking up a huge spray behind them. The boat swept in dangerously close to their yacht, missing a collision by mere inches but tossing up a fair amount of seawater onto the deck and its occupants nonetheless.   
  
While the pair of Rockets were sputtering and wiping the saltwater from their eyes, a lone figure appeared materialized as the wave of water dissipated from the air. He had managed to make the ridiculously dangerous leap off of the boat as it had passed the Rockets' yacht without falling to his untimely death...then again, dangerous, stupid stunts were what he did best.  
  
Jessie's eyes narrowed at the intruder. "I don't know who you are, but you'll be sorry you messed with Team Rocket!" she growled through gritted, shaking a gloved fist at the unwanted interloper. "So you'd better prepare for trouble..."  
  
"Jess?" James tapped her on the shoulder, pulling a piece of kelp out of his sapphire locks with a disgusted grimace, "Didn't we already do that part?" She smacked him upside the head in response, giving him a look that would fry cardboard.  
  
The intruder chuckled at their antics, speaking in a soft voice. "Five years, and you still haven't got a clue." This comment served to confuse Jessie and James, who scratched their head as they tried to extract the newcomer's voice from their memories. Walking past the befuddled Rockets with a slow, steady gait, the stranger went over to the basket and began rooting through the Pokéballs, searching for something. "Now, where'd you put them?" he muttered to himself.  
  
"Hey, who do you think you are?" James demanded, taking an aggressive stance.  
  
The stranger looked back over his shoulder curiously, scanning the Rockets with his soft amber eyes. Despite the seasonably warm weather, he was wearing a dark blue League jacket with off-white sleeves. Over the left breast pocket of the coat was a large Pokéball patch, marked with a small black 'K' in the center. An official Pokémon League hat capped his head, not quite covering puffs of jet-black hair that refused to be contained within the battered, filthy cap.   
  
"I'm Ash Ketchum." he stated with an air of confidence. "You have something of mine." He pulled a quartet of Pokéballs out of the basket. "I'll just take them back." He smiled, and slipped the balls into his jacket. "AND," he added, "I'll take back the other Pokémon you stole from the conference." He gave James a wink, then began trying to lift the basket off of the deck. It was surprisingly hefty.  
  
"YOU!!!" James thrust his finger accusingly at Ash. "This time you won't get away, brat!" He unclipped a ball from his belt and tossed it halfway between himself and the Ketchum boy. The ball split in half, opened on an unseen hinge and spit out a stream of energy. The energy soon converged on one spot, and solidified into a gruesome creature called Weezing. The huge, dual-headed set of misshapen spheres had the ability to spew toxic fumes, poisonous acids, and corrosive sprays at a simple command from James. "Weezing, Smokescreen now!" The purple monster flew in circles filling the air with a black cloud of smoke, blacking out the entire deck.  
  
Ash blinked back tears and pulled his own Pokéball from his belt. He gave the control button on the front a quick click, expanding the ball from the size of a large marble to that of a small softball. Then he held the control down longer, until it clicked a second time. Hurling the ball, he called out, "Bulbasaur, I choose you!"   
  
The ball flew through the air, arcing straight towards James' Weezing. Then, without warning, it stopped in midair and spit forth energy that soon formed into a monster; Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was a small, frog-like lizard with a huge bulb growing on its back. It was a plant type, which might have been a bad choice...for other trainers. Plant types were weak against Poison types, but Bulbasaur had proven itself to be more then meets the eye on several occasions.   
  
"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!" The small lizard barked in reply, sending dozens of incredibly sharp leaves flying out of its bulb and lancing through the thick haze of smoke. It couldn't see exactly where Weezing was, so it was forced to cut an irregular path through the haze, trying to find the target.  
  
Weezing wove through the leaves, desperately trying to avoid their sharp edges. The bag of gas may have been slow and dull-witted, but it knew very well just how painful a Razor Leaf cut could be. Weezing's luck didn't hold out, though, as one of the projectiles found its mark, and the Pokémon halted in mid-air, screeching in pain. Smoke stopped billowing out of its pores, and the black cloud dissipated moments later.  
  
James bit back a groan of sympathy for his Pokémon. He knew firsthand how painful it was, too. The Rocket didn't pause a second, though. "Weezing, Sludge attack!" he commanded, sneering at the boy's soon-to-be-defeated Bulbasaur.  
  
A deep rumbling came from within the gasbag's throat, followed by a gurgling. After a moment, Weezing gave a small cough, then spit up a large ball of goo. The black sludge flew through the air and landed right in Bulbasaur's eyes, blinding it. The tiny lizard rubbed at its eyes with its forepaws to no avail, completely blind and almost totally helpless.  
  
"Weezing, Tackle attack!"  
  
The large purple ball flew through the air, smashing into Bulbasaur with tremendous kinetic force. The plant type was knocked backwards by the bullrush, sliding across the wet deck until it bumped into Ash's feet. Ash took one look at his toxified Bulbasaur with a frown, annoyed that James had been able to incapacitate his Bulbasaur so quickly. The boy calmly bent down and wiped away the gunk with his hands, gritting his teeth as the slimy gunk got in between his fingernails. Once that was done, he helped the lizard back to its feet. "Bulbasaur," he ordered, "Solarbeam."  
  
Bulbasaur's bulb began to glow as it took in sunlight. Thanks to months of training and sunbathing, it didn't take nearly as long as it once had to charge the deadly organic laser. Before Weezing could even get out a horrified whimper, a beam of solid blue-white energy shot out from the bulb on the lizard's back, blasting into Weezing and driving the hideous monster back. James was caught straight in his chest by the Pokémon/solarbeam combo, flying back off his feet and straight into the wheelhouse with a satisfying crunch. Bulbasaur cut the Solarbeam off, letting the smouldering pair drop to the deck.  
  
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur barked, grinning from ear to ear. Ash chuckled, rubbing his bulb in gratitude and thanking his Pokémon. "Bulba, bulbasaur!"  
  
Jessie took one look at her useless partner and his KO'ed Pokémon. Her vision went red with rage as she whirled on Ash, a finger pointed accusingly at the boy. "This time you're going down, twerp! Permanently!" she screeched. Jessie pulled a Pokéball out of her skimpy split jacket and tossed it out.   
  
The ball spiraled over Ash's head and nearly landed behind him and his Bulbasaur, but stopped its descent at the last second and instead split open, releasing Arbok. Arbok was also a Poison type, but not nearly as lethargic as Weezing. The giant hooded snake was capable of doing several lightning-fast and lethal attacks, as well as poison ones.   
  
"Arbok, go!" Jessie commanded. The giant snake hissed and charged at Bulbasaur and Ash, yowling and spitting.  
  
"Charrrr-bok!"  
  
"Bulbasaur, return!" Ash pointed the Pokéball at Bulbasaur, and a small red beam shot out. The beam converted the Pokémon to energy, then retracted it into the ball just before Arbok struck. The snake's fangs sunk into the spot where Bulbasaur had been an instant before, ripping the deck apart. Ash backpedaled away from the snake and reconfigured his ball to its smaller form, clipping it to his belt. He drew one of the four balls he had retrieved from the basket and expanded it. "Kingler, I choose you!"   
  
He activated the release mechanism and tossed the ball. Within another instant, Ash's enormous crab rejoined the real world from its energy existance within the Pokéball. It was hard to imagine, but Kingler had once been the smallest Krabby ever recorded in a battle. Now, though, he was one of the largest Kinglers in the world, and (in Ash's "humble" opinion), the strongest. Its powerful claws could crush armor-rated titanium, and its cheery red and white exoskeleton could withstand a lot of punishment.  
  
"Kingler," Ash scowled at Arbok, who scowled right back at him with its inhuman, venomous eyes, "Guillotine attack!"  
  
Kingler sprang forward, trying to snatch the snake in its larger claw. The Guillotine was a fantastically painful attack that involved Kingler slamming Arbok's head against the deck just as hard as it could. Many people within the Indigo League had tried to ban the move from the official lists, claiming that the Guillotine had been the cause of too many accidental deaths. The League's purists always managed to block them, though; it was a traditional move, and would stay that way. None of that mattered now, though, as Arbok was simply too fast for the powerhouse crustacean to get ahold of.  
  
"Arbok, Wrap!" Jessie commanded. The purple snake shot forward, darting out of the way of Kingler's claw, coiled itself around the grande-sized crab and began crushing the life out of it.. Jessie cackled gleefully as Kingler's exoskeleton began to groan and tremble under Arbok's fierce power. "You may be able to handle a pair of stooges, Boy, but you can't beat me!" she called.  
  
"I've only done it about a million times!" Ash retorted angrily. Inside, though, he wasn't feeling that confident. Arbok had Kingler trapped, and could slowly drain the hit-points from the giant crab until it fainted... or worse. Blast it, how could he expect Kingler to keep up with something so fast? It wasn't fair to the Pokémon, losing simply because Ash had made a bad call. If only there was a way... and then he noticed his one opportunity; Arbok had failed to trap one of Kingler's claws. As luck had it, it was the larger of the two, his 'Bashing' claw. "Kingler, Crab Hammer, now!" Ash shouted desperately to his crunchatized crustacean.  
  
Kingler drew back its claw and began slamming it against Arbok's body, pounding away at the snake's scaly hide. Wham! A direct blow struck the oily snake, rattling it all the way to its bones and nearly breaking it in half. Arbok cried out "Char-bokk!!" and let go as fast as it could.  
  
"Kingler, Stomp!"  
  
The giant crab leapt high into the air, seeming to disappear. Arbok searched vainly in the sky, but was blinded by the bright glare of the sun. Suddenly, a shadow crossed over the golden orb, growing larger and larger. "Bok?"  
  
"Kooo-kie!" Kingler screamed, landing straight on Arbok's head. The force of the impact drove the snake straight through the deck, leaving half of it above deck, and the other half hanging limply through the splintered hole. Kingler was huffing, exhausted from the battle, but didn't seem in any danger of passing out.   
  
"Arbok?" Jessie rushed over, hysterically crying out her Pokémon's name. She latched on to one end of the snake and tried to pull it out of the hole by its tail. Unfortunately, gravity won out on the snake, dragging it the rest of the way below deck and taking the evil prima donna screaming all the way to the bottom with it. One loud thump later, and there was only the calm waters of the ocean lapping against the hull once more.  
  
Ash recalled Kingler and took the opportunity to grab the huge basket of stolen Pokéballs. He managed to drag it over to the edge of the deck, turning red-faced with the effort as the metal basket scraped and squealed against the slick wet deck below his feet. "C'mon..." his eyes scanned the harbor, searching for his ticket to freedom. Team Rocket may have been down for the moment, but he knew all too well how fast they could regroup and come back fighting just as strong as ever. Contrary to everything he had ever said, beating Team Rocket was never as easy as all that.  
  
As his mind wandered back to the boat's occupants, the black motorboat that had delivered him there appeared as if from thin air, coming up from behind the yacht at full throttle. Ash's head snapped to the rear of the vessel, wondering for a moment if the speedboat would run full bore into the yacht. The other boat's pilot, though, wasn't quite that incompetent; he pulled the black craft up alongside the yacht, matching the larger boat's speed.  
  
"Come on!" The boat's pilot shouted, waving at Ash to get on board. The pilot was a muscular, tan-skinned man in his late teens, with dark brown hair jutting out of his scalp at angles so insane it was impossible to think he could have styled it like that. His features were strong and chiseled, and his voice was deep, but friendly to a fault. Perhaps the oddest thing about the pilot was his eyes; they were long and slitted, and not quite open. It was as if he kept his eyes not-quite-closed, but somehow was still able to see perfectly. "Let's get a move on, Ash, we don't have all day!"  
  
"In a sec, Brock," Ash struggled with the basket, trying to get it over the deck's edge. Getting a better grip on the slick handle, he tried to use his entire body to lift up on the basket, only managing to raise it a few centimeters off of the deck before his strength gave out and he had to let it drop. "This thing isn't featherlight, y'know."  
  
"Here, let me help you." A lanky, redheaded teenage girl sitting in the back of the boat rose from her seat and crossed over to the yacht, hopping over the short railing with a grunt. Her hair was bunched up in a most bizarre manner, hanging off of the side of her head. It almost looked as though she had tried to put it in a ponytail, but had missed the back of her head. She wore cutoff shorts and an old yellow sleeveless top that exposed her midrift and did little to hide the curves of her body. "Jeez, Ash, can't you do anything on your own?" she snorted, getting a grip on the basket next to his.  
  
"Could you maybe gripe at me later?" he asked her as they heaved the basket upward, moving it over the threshhold and onto the speedboat together. "We have a few things to take care of right now.  
  
"It's always something with you, isn't it?" she razzed him, but gave him a wink to let him know she was kidding. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as she moved back onto the speedboat. Leave it to Misty to make fun of him at a time like this. Ash was about to follow Misty back over onto the boat when the yacht suddenly lurched to port, pulling away from Brock and Misty.   
  
"Hey!" the Pokémon trainer exclaimed. He heard a high-pitched cackling coming from behind him as Brock and Misty grew farther and farther away. Swallowing hard, Ash turned around slowly, knowing full well what to expect.  
  
"We stole those Pokémon fair and square, runt!" Meowth snarled, standing between Ash and the wheelhouse. He extended his claws with a vicious sneer, advancing on Ash with vindictive venom in his voice. "You don't got nowhere to run, runt. Now we've got you!" Jessie and James entered from the sidelines, aching and battered, but furious and threatening nonetheless.  
  
Ash began sweating nervously, backing up to the edge of the boat. Things were looking bad. Then his eyes flickered to the top of the wheelhouse, where his companion stood ready to back Ash up, just as they had planned it...though 'plan' might have been too strong a word for it. "I guess you guys have me backed in a corner, huh?" This elected a chuckle from the Rocket trio, until Ash added, "So you won't mind if I tag my partner, will you?"  
  
"Huh?" the three harmonized, looking between themselves for answers that none of them had. What was he talking about?  
  
"Pikachu, Thundershock!"  
  
The small yellow mouse leapt from its perch on the wheelhouse with a "Pika!", twirling and flipping through the air with expert dexterity. The thunderous mouse landed amidst the Rockets, already sparking and charged for an attack.   
  
"Chuuuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a furious spray of electricity, lancing all three nogoodnicks with a golden bolt of power. Jessie, James, and Meowth danced and twitched like hot grease on a griddle, yowling as if they had been lit on fire. At one point, Ash could have sworn that he actually saw through their skin and straight to their bones, but had to look away from the attack lest he be blinded. Finally, Pikachu cut off the juice, letting the smoldering Rockets fall to the deck with a sickening thump.  
  
In the meantime, Ash pulled out another Pokéball off of his belt. This one he tossed over the edge of the deck as if he were dropping it in the sea. The ball released its Pokémon quickly, then snapped back into Ash's hand, emptied. As he clipped the empty ball back to his belt, Ash gave Team Rocket a stylish salute. "I'd love to stay and chat," he quipped as Pikachu ran up into his arms, "but I've got a flight to catch. See ya!" He sat down on the railing and pushed backward, flipping over the edge and disappearing from view.  
  
Curious, the trio picked themselves up off the deck and made their way over the edge. "Where'd he go?" Meowth scratched his oversized head, puzzled by the boy's disappearance. He was about to peer over the railing when he was knocked back, floored by the backwash of a giant bird's wings as it flew up past the Rockets and high over the yacht.   
  
Ash and Pikachu rode atop Pidgeot, his powerful Bird Pokémon. The bird's colorful plumage fluttered in Ash's face as they rode high above Team Rocket's boat. Ash judged the distance, doing some quick calculations in his head. After that became painful, he decided to forgo the calculations (which he had no idea how to do anyway) and decided to go with his gut instinct. "Pidgeot, Gust attack!"   
  
Pidgeot began flapping its wings, struggling to both attack and keep its passengers aloft. It wasn't easy, but the Flying type had gotten a lot of practice over the years, ever since Ash had come back for it in the forest. Within seconds Pidgeot had created a small cyclone, which it launched at the yacht. The small spherical twister streaked out from Pidgeot's wings and struck straight and true into the heart of the yacht, blowing the boat apart with hurricane-force winds. Team Rocket was propelled into the stratosphere as the yacht expanded into a hail of splinters and metal fragments, screaming their trademark phrase before winking out of sight.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
Ash nodded in satisfaction as Team Rocket became nothing more than a glimmer on the horizon. Carefully, he guided Pidgeot down to the boat Brock had "borrowed" in order to give chase to the Rocket trio and had his pilot drop him and Pikachu neatly into the back end, startling Misty as he descended from the heavens. Returning the Bird Pokémon to its ball, he sat down on the wet seat cushion and pulled out four Pokéballs from his jacket, smiling broadly. "Wartortle, Kingler, Lapras and Poliwag, all back where they belong." He sighed, tired but content. "Not bad, huh?" he cast a sidelong grin at Misty.  
  
Misty shook her head, disgusted. No matter how old Ash got, the fiery redhead figured that her friend would never grow up. Sometimes it made her wonder exactly what kept bringing them back together. Then, of course, she remembered the key word in her own question; "friend." No matter how hard she tried, she knew that she would never be totally rid of Ash Ketchum. "You could have gotten hurt." she chided him sternly, fixing him with her no-nonsense tone and sour face. "Why'd you try and take them on alone? We could have helped you, you know."  
  
"She's right, Ash." Brock turned, his eyes in their never-ending squint and mouth turned down disapprovingly, as it often was whenever Ash did something insanely dangerous and incredibly stupid. Brock was a good deal older than both Ash and Misty, but he had never once treated either of them as anything but friends...with the exception of the occasional condescending talk. Over the years, he had become a sort of bigger brother to the pair, offering advice when advice was wanted, and offering more advice when they didn't want to hear it, but needed it most. "You could have gotten hurt, or worse." Like Misty, he was always worried about Ash. He suspected, though, that his worry stemmed from different reasons...reasons that Misty would never, in a million years, admit to having, even to herself.  
  
Ash rolled his eyes, scratching Pikachu on the head. The Electric type purred contently, rubbing up against Ash, trying to get his hand in the sweet spot behind its ears. "You guys worry too much," Ash scoffed, waving them off with his other hand as he laughed. "I could have handled them ten times over and still had enough to take 'em again!" He threw a few ridiculous practice jabs into the air. It was laughable, considering that Ash could barely fight his way out of a paper bag. "No one beats Ketchum!" Pikachu leapt to its feet, mimicking Ash's boxing and dancing about on the balls of its feet.  
  
Now Misty roller her own eyes, snorting. There was no figuring about it; she *knew* he would never grow up. "One of these days," she warned him, "You're going to get into real trouble. Then where are you going to be? Screwed, that's where." she nodded decisively. "Completely screwed."  
  
"You might not be ready for everything that's out there, li'l buddy." Brock chimed in after Misty's "screwed" speech, turning around to make sure the boat didn't run over a fisherman or three in the harbor as they sped towards the shore. "You shouldn't be so confident."  
  
"Whatever." He pulled his hat down over his eyes and leaned back on the seat. Ash hated being lectured to, even by his oldest and closest friends. Where did they get off, anyway? They thought they were so much smarter. Someday he would show them he wasn't just a little kid anymore.   
  
Then again, he might never get the chance to prove anything. His gaze traveled over to the horizon wistfully for the millionth time in the past month. He couldn't help but wonder what was out there, over the ocean and beyond the tiny confines of the island. Ash Ketchum loved Pokémon Island with all of his heart, and knew that it would always be his home. Lately, though, it felt as if Kanto had become a prison of sorts. He was tied here by his league duties, among other...complications. Through all of it, though, something burned inside of him. It was something he couldn't explain...as if someone was calling him from out there.  
  
"Let's just get outta here." he harrumphed.  
* * *  
  
Ash opened the door and walked into the house. The boy sighed contently as he stood in the doorway for a moment, revelling in the feeling he always got whenever he came home. His mother's latest gardening project was spilling dirt, leaving loose leaves everywhere, and generally making a mess all over the porch as her projects usually did. He could smell one of her world-famous Stantler Sausage Surprise cassaroles baking in the oven as he stepped inside. Pikachu bounded up from behind him, leaping into the kitchen and up onto the table and raiding the fruit bowl.  
  
As usual, his mother was nowhere in sight, probably off working on three or four of her thousands of personal projects around the house. Try as he might, he could never seem to remember a single moment he had ever seen his mother doing nothing at all. Ash suspected that if he were ever gone long enough, she would probably tear down the entire house and put it back together with her bare hands. He didn't have to worry this time, though. The place was just as he had left it...then again, it had only been one weekend, unlike some of his previous trips. He slung his backpack and jacket onto a chair, and strode into the kitchen. "Mom! I'm home!" He plopped down into a chair and looked around. "Mom?"  
  
"Right here, honey." His mother's singsong voice echoed off of the walls from outside. A moment later she walked in the back door, fresh dirt on her boots and work gloves. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her face was full of smudges of mud, streaked by the sweat running off of her face. "You make it back home okay?" she asked, shucking her boots and gloves. She sighed with heavenly relief, wiggling her toes inside of her worn, dirty socks. "Oh, I swear, I wish they would invent a pair of boots that didn't fry your feet.  
  
"Yeah, no problems." Ash chuckled. "It was a lot of fun, actually." He plucked an apple from the fruit bowl in the center of the table, and was about to take a big bite out of it until his mom snatched the apple right out of his hands. "Hey!" he cried indignantly, his stomach rumbling at the missed feeding.  
  
"Dinner'll be ready in a bit, and I don't want you spoiling your appetite." His mother scolded him. Ash grumbled, but didn't complain. He knew better than to gripe at his mother (out loud). In the meantime, Ash's mother saw Pikachu finishing its second apple, and rescued a fresh peach from its claws before the mouse could engorge itself any more. "And you, buster, need to go easy on the fruit bowl." she gave him a sly smile. "They just raised the price of produce in the market yesterday, so we can't afford to go all willy-nilly, can we?"  
  
"Piiiiii..." Pikachu moaned, its ears drooping to the tabletop. As soon as Ash's mother turned around, the thundermouse gave her one of its tiny raspberries. Ash swatted his belligerant Pokémon, but he couldn't help but snicker all the same.  
  
After the dinner preparations had been made, the family sat down to eat. Ash had already been through the process of feeding his Pokémon, so he didn't have to feel guilty about eating his own food. As always, though, Pikachu was angling to get at a portion of his meal. "This is great, mom! Thanks." Ash said gratefully, rubbing his hands together and digging in.  
  
"Well, I figured you would be ready for a good home-cooked meal after days of fast food." She smiled warmly. "So,tell me about the conference. Was everything okay?"  
  
Shooing Pikachu away from his food, Ash answered, "Well, Wartortle splashed all the other Pokémon in the swimming area, Kingler tried to take out a few Goldeen, Lapras wouldn't stop crying when people tried to look at it, and Poliwag insisted on spraying Loreli with its Watergun." He grinned, recalling his rowdy Pokémon and how they had teased and hassled the other Pokémon. They were just like him; they didn't take nothing from nobody. Or was he like them? It was getting hard to tell. "So I wasn't exactly a welcome sight there."  
  
"That's my boy, the outcast League Champion." She chuckled, taking a dainty bite of the casserole. "Mmmmm...Did you see Misty? She probably wouldn't miss a water conference."  
  
Ash recalled his fiery redheaded friend with mixed feelings. "Yeah, she was there. Brock too, though I don't know why. I think he just likes hanging out with us...and checking out the girls." They both giggled. Time and age hadn't matured Brock, or his taste for beautiful women, in the least.  
  
"Did anything interesting happen?" His mother asked, taking another bite.  
  
"Well..." Ash lowered his head, mumbling, "Team Rocket sorta showed up." He braced himself, knowing full well how she would react to this bit of news. He wasn't disappointed.  
  
"What???" his mom shouted, dropping her fork onto her plate with a noisy klank! "Team Rocket? You didn't try to stop them, did you?" she demanded of him, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you all right? Let me check your temperature." She reached over the table, placing a hand on his forehead.  
  
"Mom, they stole my Pokémon!" Ash batted her hand away, pushing back from the table with his arms folded defiantly across his chest. "Besides, I've beaten them a hundred times! I'm not afraid of those morons."  
  
She stood up, frowning at him in disapproval. "Ash, you know how I worry whenever you get mixed up with those...those hoodlums! You should let the police handle them."  
  
"You don't think I can handle them?"  
  
"I didn't say that." she put her hands on her hips. "Don't put words in my mouth. You know I have total faith in you."  
  
He grumbled softly, turning away. "Then why won't you let me leave the island?" He knew it was the wrong time to bring it up, but it had been bugging him for weeks. The desire to leave he felt burning deep inside of him hadn't let up in the least. Sometimes it was so strong, he felt as if he were going crazy!  
  
She didn't react as he might have hoped, though it was exactly as he had expected. "Don't you bring that up again!" she scolded him loudly, shaking her finger at him. "You know I don't want you leaving the island! It's dangerous."  
  
He sighed. "It wouldn't be more dangerous then my last journey, just...not as localized." Ash argued hopelessly.  
  
"No! I won't have it!" She literally put her foot down, stamping the floor out of impatience. It was time Ash learned that no means no. "You're too old to start off on some crazy adventure like a little boy. Now's the time to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life, not play around with Pokémon." Pikachu looked up at her from its place at Ash's feet, its eyes wide with confusion.  
  
Ash's mouth hung wide in amazement. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Play around?" he exploded, "PLAY AROUND? Mom, I'm the League Champion! I've been doing this for the past five years! All my friends are into Pokémon, Mom. This is what I want to do with my life! This IS my life! Why can't you understand that?"  
  
His mom frowned, slamming her fork down on her plate. "Pokémon is not a career, Ash! It's...it's something every young person does when they're your age It isn't a career! I...You...OH!" She stomped out into the living room, too angry and frustrated to even speak to her son any more.  
  
Ash knew he shouldn't press it. He knew he was at the end of his rope as far as his mother was concerned. He should just let it go, let things cool off. But something inside him told him to go for it. Something told him that if he gave it one more shot, he could do it. It was that same voice he heard calling him over the ocean...the same voice, the same feeling he had listened to all of his life. Ash wasn't about to start ignoring it now. He pushed back from the table and went after his mother, stepping softly into the living room and peeking around the corner. He found her sitting on the couch, trying to avoid his prying eyes by focusing on the flashing, blaring television. By accident, she had turned on a Pokémon match. Watching the same thing that she and her son were arguing about only made her angrier, which didn't help Ash's situation at all.  
  
"Mom, c'mon." Ash murmured softly, crossing the room. "It's not like I'll be dying or anything. I'll just leave the island, that's all." He sat down next to her, putting his hand on top of hers and giving it a slight squeeze. She didn't even twitch, which surprised him more than a little. She was beginning to scare him. "Mom, this is my dream, my destiny! I have to go! If not now, then someday... and soon. I can't stay here forever."  
  
Her face softened, but she remained still, intent on the match. Try as she might, she wouldn't be able to hold the tears she felt welling up in her eyes back forever. 'Don't look at his eyes...don't look at his eyes...' she coached herself, keeping her gaze fixated on the match.  
  
Ash frowned, seeing no noticable affect on his mother. He didn't give up, though Giving up was never something Ash was very good at. "Mom, why is it so awful if I leave? I've left before, and you didn't freak then!" It was time to lay the cards out on the table. "What are you so afraid of?"  
  
"Your father."  
  
Ash was taken aback. "What? What about dad?" They almost never spoke of Ash's father...it was too painful, for both of them.  
  
She turned to Ash, her tears flowing freely now. If Ash could be candid with her, then she could be equally so with him. "I lost your father to Pokémon. Don't you remember?" Her voice quavered slightly, something that was totally out of character for Deliah Ketchum.   
  
Ash had never known his mother to be anything but strong. Seeing her like this...seeing her overcome with concern and pain. It broke his heart. His face took on a sad grimace, mimicking her own. "Of course I do. He left when I was little..." They both knew the story after that. His father had left...and had never returned. His letters had stopped, his friends lost track of him, and his family...his only family...never saw him again. Sean Ketchum had simply vanished off the face of the planet without a trace.  
  
She got up and walked over to the mantle, picking up a picture of the three of them in front of a stream. Sean's strong arms were wrapped around her and their three-year-old son's shoulders, a beaming smile peeking out from under his bushy moustasche. The picture had been taken on one of their family picnicks into Viridian Forest. Ash's mother looked back on those times as some of the happiest of her life. "He left to become a Pokémon master...just like you...and now he's gone. I don't think I could stand losing you too, Ash." She turned, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. "I couldn't..." she choked, "I couldn't stand losing you like that...I just...I..."  
  
I never thought of it that way, he thought. Blinking back tears of his own, he hugged his mother tightly, burying his face into her shoulder. "Mom...I know, I miss dad too...but this is something I have to do." He met her eyes with his own. "I'll be back, I promise...but I have to go. If I don't...I don't know. I'm so confused...but I know that I have to do this."  
  
She held her breath, struggling with her inner demons. Ash held his breath too, wondering what she was about to say. Finally she nodded to him, giving him the best smile she could muster as her heart was breaking. "I understand." She hugged him so hard he could have sworn he felt a couple of his ribs break. "But I expect you to come back." She stroked the back of his head, crying softly. "I'll be waiting for you to come back, Ashlan Ketchum."  
  
"I'll be back, mom." Ash promised her. "I'll come home someday. I promise."  
  
* * *  
Ash wandered the halls of Professor Oak's research center, wondering how the old man could hide so easily in such a building. At first glance, the Island's Institute for Pokémon Research and Development seemed to be just an average building. Ash suspected that the Oak family had converted it from an old office building decades ago when they had first come to the Island. The building had undergone serious renovation since then, but was not noticably different.   
  
Only when someone tried to find their way through it, though, did they realize just how screwy the place really was. There were dozens of different twists and turns throughout the complex, often leading a person back to the same room they started in as they tried to find their way around. Even after all the time he had spent here with Professor Oak, Ash still couldn't navigate the corridors of the Institute without a little trouble. Several times he looked behind him, checking to make sure that Pikachu hadn't gotten lost along the way.  
  
Finally, he found the research lab, tucked away in the corner of the complex where it was practically isolated from the rest of the world. In his five years of Pokémon training, Ash had learned that researchers valued their privacy above everything but their research itself. Just as he had predicted, there was Professor Oak, sitting at his chair and looking at some sort of data on different charts and graphs displayed on his computer. Grinning devilishly, Ash tried to sneak up behind the Professor, intent on startle him. Pikachu mimicked him, tiptoeing on its wobbly hind legs. It was a joke he tried every time he found Oak with his back to the boy. Like the other thousand times he had tried it, the trick didn't work.  
  
"Hello, Ash. What a pleasant surprise." Oak said without turning around.   
  
Ash smiled, shaking his head. He had never been able to get the drop on the Professor, even after all these years. The old guy was still pretty sharp, hard to impress, and even harder to surprise. "Hi Professor." he greeted the aging scientist, scooping up Pikachu and placing the Pokémon on his shoulder. "What's that you're looking at?"  
  
"Ah, I'm glad you asked. This is a most interesting phenomenon in Pokémon, most interesting indeed." He tapped the keyboard on his computer, bringing up several different images of a Butterfree taken from different vantage points. Pikachu cocked its tiny head, 'Chu'ing with facination from its perch on Ash's arm.  
  
The sight brought back a lot of memories for Ash, as well as some conflicting emotions. He always wondered how his Butterfree had made out after he had let it go. Now that he was going to leave the island, he might run into it After all, who knew where his old Pokémon ended up? The thought brought his good mood back. "It's a Butterfree. So? What's the big mystery?" Ash knew that Professor Oak never wasted his time with piddly research. The researcher always liked to sink his teeth into the big riddles, the ones that other scientists had given up on long ago.  
  
Instead of answering, Oak gave Ash a question of his own. "Ash, how long does a bug live?"  
  
"Uhhhh..." It was an answer that Ash gave Oak all too often.  
  
Professor Oak smiled, helping Ash out with the answer. "Some insects have very short life spans. Certain species can have lives as short as a few weeks, even days!" He turned. "Now, do you know how long the average Butterfree lives?"  
  
Again, Ash answered with his standard standby response: "Uhhhh..."  
  
"Trick question, my young friend!" Oak gave the lad a knowing wink, typing in more information into the computer and bringing up several different charts and bar graphs. "The oldest living Butterfree is still battling at 138 years young."  
  
"138?" Now he knew that Oak was teasing him. "Professor, I know Pokémon live long, but not that long. It's ridiculous! It's impossible!"  
  
Oak shook his head, chuckling. "Ridiculous? Absolutely. Impossible? Not at all. I would think, Ash, that you, of all people, would know that the word has no meaning." Ash nodded reluctantly. Both he and Oak had seen things that defied every law of nature known to mankind, as well as a few laws that hadn't been discovered yet. Oak continued, "This little fellow, as well as the rest of his species, is functionally immortal. Do you know how they do it?"  
  
"I'd be lying if I said I did, Professor."  
  
"Mmm." Oak turned back to the screen, rubbing his jaw. "As would I...at least if you asked me for the specifics. I do have a general idea, though."  
  
"Don't keep us in suspense, Professor."  
  
"Pika!"  
  
"You're aware that before a Caterpie becomes a Butterfree, it must first become a Metapod." He saw Ash and Pikachu nod, then went on. "Well, once every ten years or so, when a Butterfree starts to feel its age, it will become a Metapod again...in a sense." He tapped the keyboard a few more times.  
  
"In a sense?"  
  
Oak frowned. "That is where the confusing part comes in. You see, when it returns to this Metapod state, it is unable to battle."  
  
Ash chuckled, shooting Pikachu a knowing glance. They had battled more than a few Metapod in their time without too much difficulty. "I never did think Metapods battled much anyway." he laughed, conjuring up the image of the large, immoble bug facing off against...well, anything that could move. "Unless they added 'Blink' into the League's official list of moves."  
  
"Well, this form of Metapod cannot even Harden." Oak explained patiently, ignoring Ash's ignorant jabs and jibes at his work. "It stays this way for about five or six months, unable to move, and unable to protect itself. Then, when it's ready, it comes out, good as new and just as strong as they day it first evolved." He smiled, rubbing his hands together. "It's actually quite amazing. What looks like the end is really a new beginning." Coming off of his soapbox, Professor Oak sat back down in his chair, continuing to work as he had before Ash had interrupted him. "If we could reproduce this regenerative process, just think of the implications!"   
  
Ash regarded the screen with an odd stare, then turned to Oak. "That's great, Professor, but...uh..."  
  
"But that isn't the reason you came to see me." Oak finished the sentence for him, turning back to Ash with a wink. He got up and went to check on his shelves, stocked with row after row of Pokéballs. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bombard your brain with my dusty old research. So tell me Ash, what brings you to my humble little lab?" He gave the young trainer a cursory glance as he scanned the Pokéballs, checking up on his charges.  
  
"I need Dexter upgraded, Professor." Ash pulled out a battered, worn-out old Pokédex [Pokémon Database/Experimental eXocomputer], his faithful scan/info retrieval device that had served him well for many years. Oak had improved on the design every now and again, making the outer casing a bit less blocky or upgrading its sensory equipment, but inside it was the same ol' Dexter. "I'll need a global data package, a linguistic translation program, and one of your on-the-road high school suppliments."  
  
Oak's eyebrows raised in surprise. "A global data package? Travel school?" These were all new, and very much different from Ash's usual requests. "It sounds like you're planning on a long trip, Ash." He took the palmtop computer from Ash's hand, placing it safely in his labcoat's deep pocket. "Will Misty and Brock be needing similar equipping?" He looked behind Ash and Pikachu, as if expecting to see something. "Where are they, anyway? It isn't like you three to be apart when you're planning a new journey."   
  
Ash's eyes went wide. How could he have missed that little detail? "Oh, man! I forgot about Brock and Misty!" He slapped his forehead, gritting his teeth and racking his brain for answers. How was he supposed to explain this to them? "I guess I'll have to tell them I'm leaving." he replied lamely, blushing with embarrassment. "I mean, that I'm going, and...and they..."  
  
Oak nodded, understanding. "You're looking to tackle this little adventure on your own, are you?" Ash nodded in response, elicting a grunt from Oak. "I'm not sure if that's wise, Ash. After all, you've never been out on your own, have you?"  
  
"You don't think I can handle it?" There was no challenge in Ash's voice, only pure question. He respected Professor Oak's opinion higher than anyone else's, and couldn't stand it if the old man didn't have faith in him.  
  
"Not at all," Oak assured his young protegé. "You'll do fine. I'm simply worried about you, that's all. And I'm sure that Brock and Misty will understand."  
  
"I hope so."  
* * *  
  
"You're what???"  
  
Ash scratched Pikachu under the ears as the Pokémon sat contently on his lap as his trainer talked to the two indignant teenagers as they sat at one of The Quarry's tiny, filthy booths. Pikachu had somehow gotten ahold of one of the table's filthy ketchup bottles, and was slurping the red goo down noisily. Ash grinned nervously at his two friends, tugging at his collar with his free hand. He knew that Misty would make this difficult...not that predicting Misty's foul mood was reason for a medal or anything. Somehow, the redheaded teenager always made her displeasure with just about anything known as loudly as possible. Her gripes with Ash were no different, either.   
  
"What do you guys mean? I said I'm leaving the island." he coughed, avoiding their inquisitive eyes.  
  
Misty sighed, rolling her own eyes skyward with a snort. "You dragged me all the way from Cerulean City for this?" She slurped her Iced Mocha Slushie, one of the new items added to the menu. The owners of the diner had recently gotten a slushie machine, and were eager to try out some new flavors. The foo-foo coffee blended snow cone in a cup was one of Misty's particular favorites. "I have better things to do than to wait on-call for you, Ash." She, Brock, and Ash had always favored Pewter City's tiny truck stop, The Quarry. It was friendly, it was familiar, and most importantly, it was never crowded. That was probably why Ash had chosen the spot to break the bad news to them.  
  
Brock took a huge bite of his club sandwich. The large collection of turkey, bread, and vegetables oozed red tomato out of the back as he sunk his teeth into it, tearing off a quarter of it in one chomp and chewing loudly. "Why would you want to leave the island?" he tried to speak around a jaw full of turkey, lettuce, and tomato, succeeding in spraying flecks of half-chewed food onto the table in front of him.  
  
"Why else? To take the next step in training."  
  
Misty's face screwed up in disgust at Brock's atrocious eating/talking combination. Still, she managed to give Ash one of her patented 'You're crazy and stupid' looks. "Ash, in case you hadn't noticed, Pokémon Island is the center of Pokémon!" Misty slurped on her straw and rolled her eyes. "What can you do out there that you can't do here?" Feeling the precursor for a majorly painful brain freeze, she put the Mocha Slushie down, thinking warm thoughts.  
  
"Out there, it's pretty rough." Brock agreed. "Besides, we have everything a trainer could need right here in the Island. What are you going to do out there that you can't do here?" Brock put his sandwich down and took a big gulp of his thirty-two ounce soda, downing most of the glass into his puffed-out cheeks.  
  
Ash opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. 'What am I going to do?' He was more than a little embarrassed when he realized that he hadn't really given any thought to it. Something was calling him out, that was for sure. But what was it that the call wanted him to do? He turned, lost in thought, and looked over at a couple of kids-a boy and a girl- sitting a few booths down. It was almost like looking into his own past; they were a couple of young Pokémon trainers, with only half a clue as to what in blazes they were doing, congratulating themselves on their conquest of a local gym. They had probably beaten Brock this morning for their Boulderbadges, and had come to The Quarry to celebrate.  
  
"Wow, look how it shines!" one of them said excitedly as he held the silvery badge three inches in front of his face beneath the bill of a battered blue and red hat, laughing with glee. "It's so beautiful...My first badge!"  
  
"Big deal, it's just a badge." his friend scoffed, waving his childish enthusiasm off like a foul odor. "I've got plenty." She brushed a lock of her orangish hair out of her eyes. "Keep it down, you're embarrassing us!"  
  
"Yeah, well just you wait!" Her friend pocketed the badge and then shook his fist at her, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll get more! I'll get all the badges in the world!"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"You'll see. I'll get 'em all!"  
  
The whole experience was a little unsettling for Ash. It was as if someone was showing himself half a decade ago. Some stupid kid traveling around with his friend, wanting to be the best...spouting out impossible goals. Imagine, being crazy enough to try for all...  
  
All the badges in the world.  
  
Something no one had ever done before.  
  
Ever.  
  
'Out of the mouths of babes.' Ash though. His mouth pulled up into a sly smile as he turned back towards his own friends. "I know exactly what I'm going to do guys." He sounded like the Meowth who had eaten the Pidgey. "I'm gonna get all the badges in the world!"  
  
Brock had suffered the misfortune of having a mouthful of soda at the time Ash made his revelation. Brown, sticky soda sprayed out of his lips in a fine, bubbly mist all over the table, covering everything, including the remnants of his sandwich and Misty's plastic cup which, thank heavens, had a cover on it. The gym leader coughed up the last of the soda, trying to regain his composure. "Are you nuts?" he managed to get out between his fits of coughing and choking.  
  
While Brock recuperated, Misty looked at Ash as if he had said he was going to capture Moltres with a Bellsprout. She reached across, shaking him like a leaf "Ash, have you gone totally out of your mind? Leaving the island was insane enough, but this is just idiocy!" He brushed her hands away, but that didn't take her out of her preachy lecture mindset in the least. "Look, I know you like doing stupid things-"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
She continued as if he had never spoken. "God knows you do them often enough, but...but..." she struggled for the words, still unable to believe that he could be serious about something like this. "Look, you're crazy, that's all."  
  
Wiping his mouth, Brock finally managed to speak. "Ash, look, we all know that you're good..." This got a snort of disgust from Misty. "But there are over two hundred and fifty registered Pokémon gyms in the world! It'd take years to get them all! Maybe a lifetime." He began mopping the soda up while Misty grimaced in disgust, lifting her cup so that he could wipe away his 'accident' from the table. "Do you honestly think you could get all of them?"  
  
Ash hesitated: two hundred fifty? Who would have guessed there were that many? But he had already pitched his spiel; he couldn't back down now. "That's right. I'm goin to get all of them. Every last one." he stated flatly, folding his arms. Pikachu stopped slurping on the ketchup and looked up at its trainer, sensing a change in the mood at the table. It could tell that something was wrong.  
  
Misty sighed, falling back against the booth's cushion with surrender. "Well, I hadn't had any plans for the next few year anyway." she quipped. "So when do we leave?" She slurped more of her Mocha Slushie down, looking at him with inquisitive eyes.  
  
Ash scowled, feeling the rage beginning to grow inside of him. "What do you mean, 'we'?" he shot. After that entire speech about the impossibility of it all, after all that crap about how he wasn't good enough, she had the gall to invite herself along? Of all the rotten, lousy... "There is no 'we', Misty. Just me!"  
  
Misty frowned, puzzled. "You weren't thinking of leaving without us, were you?" She asked him, tilting her head with confusion. "I mean, come on..." Brock nodded his agreement, tossing the napkins in an open trash can nearby.  
  
"Why not?" Ash demanded, slamming a fist into his open palm. "You don't think I can do it? You don't think I'm good enough, right?"  
  
"Well, no," Misty admitted slowly with open palms, "But I don't think anyone in the world could-"  
  
Ash stood up, sending Pikachu tumbling to the floor. "Y'know," he cut her off loudly, drawing the attention of the entire diner, " I've just about had it with you two always trying to take me down a notch! All of the negativity, all the the doubt..." He folded his arms. "Most people take their journeys alone, with just their Pokémon along...but I had to listen to you two the entire trip for mine...All four years of it!"   
  
Pikachu glanced up at him, nervous and startled. "Pi?" It looked between Misty and Ash, wondering what they were shouting about. It wasn't like them to fight...All right, that was a lie, but it wasn't like them to fight like this. All of the angry words and shouting made the Pokémon worried. "Pika!"  
  
"You said it yourself, Misty; 'Can't you ever do anything on your own?' Guess what?" he said in a low, angry voice, "I'm doing this alone!"   
  
Misty's hand trembled in rage. She curled it into a fist, keeping it down by her hip, trying to resist the urge to knock the living crap out of Ash Ketchum. "Well then," she said with forced calm, "I guess you had better get going, hadn't you?" Brock stayed silent through the entire ordeal, afraid to open his mouth. Both of his friends were stacks of rage ready to blow at any moment, and anything he said would probably get his head taken off by either one. "Well, what are you waiting for, loser?" Misty's voice raised, dripping with sarcasm. "There's a whole world of adventure waiting for you out there! Don't waste any more time with us poor Islanders. Go. GO!"  
  
Ash's soft, amber eyes burned at her viciously, but his lips were deathly silent. He spun on his heel, his jacket whirling around him, and stormed out of the diner. Pikachu looked back and forth between its trainer's receding form and its two best friends. After a moment of indecision, Pikachu scrambled after Ash, squeezing through the door before it slammed shut with an air of finality.  
  
Brock turned slowly to Misty, carefully gauging his feminine friend. She seemed calm enough on the surface, but the Rock Master knew all to well that she was a ball of seething angst underneath. "Don't you think you were a little hard on him?" he asked her, ready to duck her fist at a moment's notice. Surprisingly enough, though, Misty didn't explode, or even start shouting. She just sat there, staring at the tabletop for several long, drawn out minutes. The activity in the diner had returned to normal, with only an occasional glance every now and again in their direction from the patronage.  
  
Finally, Misty spoke. Her voice was low, so low that Brock had to struggle just to hear her from his place right next to her. "Let him leave." She tossed the remains of her Slushie into the garbage can from her seat, suddenly no longer hungry. "Who needs him, anyway?"  
  
If anyone had been placing bets on what Misty's mood was, a stranger might have put a good sum on seething hatred, or perhaps barely-controlled fury. Brock knew better, though. Beneath Misty's cold exterior was a layer of dark, spiteful anger...and beneath the anger was a large mass of pain and hurt burning down in her stomach. She was closer to Ash than anyone (with the possible exception of Pikachu). "Misty..." he started, but she cut him off, standing up to leave.  
  
"I don't need him if he doesn't need me."  
* * *  
  
Ash stood outside of his home, inhaling deeply. He wanted the sights, the sounds, and even the smells burned into his memory as he left his home. There was no telling how long it could be before he was back. He took it all in; the white picket fence that his mother had asked him to repaint for the past eight months, the blockish lines of his house traveling upwards into the sky...it was funny, but somehow his house had seemed a lot larger when he was little. Now...  
  
"Now you're sure you'll be okay, honey?" his mom asked for the millionth time. She stood by the gate next to Professor Oak, a worried look planted squarely on her features. She tried her best to hide it, but Ash could see right through her. "You're sure...this is what you want?"  
  
"I'll be fine mom, really." he assured her. Then he hugged his mom, placing a kiss on her rosy cheek. He wasn't ashamed to kiss his mother, like some boys often were. After all, it could be a while before he saw her again. "I'll be fine." he whispered in her ear, giving her one last reassurance. He couldn't help but wonder, who he was trying to convince; his mom, or himself?  
  
Oak cleared his throat, drawing Ash out of his hug and gaining his attention. "Now Ash, try to remember: when you leave the island, it's a whole new world out there, filled with things you could never even imagine. It's very exciting, but very dangerous as well."  
  
Ash smiled. "I get it, Professor; I won't have the home field advantage anymore. Thanks." He looked down at Pikachu, who was eager to go, as well as a little sad to leave. Ash couldn't blame his Pokémon. After all, he felt exactly the same about their departure. It was always exciting to go on a new adventure, but the hardest part was always what he left behind. "Ready, partner?" he asked the yellow rodent. It nodded with a resounding 'Pika', and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder.  
  
His mom wiped away a tear and forced a smile on her face. Even though her heart was breaking, she was determined not to let Ash see it. "Good luck, Ash. I hope you find...whatever it is you're looking for." And she sincerely meant that.  
  
"I will, Mom." With that, he turned and marched off, leaving his mother and Professor Oak in his wake. He didn't dare look back at them as he walked off towards his destiny. He was certain that if he turned around, it would send him into tears.  
* * *  
  
Ash Ketchum made his way down the road towards Pallet Town's tiny one-dock harbor, where a ferry would take him to Cinnabar Island's airport. From there, he'd fly to the island of Motang, north of Pokémon Island. He had begun to plan out his trip the night before, and figured Motang to be as good a place as any to start an adventure. From the little bits of research he had managed to force himself to do, he had found out that Motang was home to a Fire type gym. He had little doubt that he could beat a fire gym. All he needed were his Water Pokémon  
  
Water...  
  
Misty...  
  
As he walked, his thoughts drifted to Brock and Misty back at the Quarry. Brock and Misty were his best friends...he couldn't imagine ever doing anything to hurt them, yet that was exactly what he had done back there. He had been pretty mean, and a little bit selfish...or maybe VERY selfish, and self-centered, too. All they had really done was worry about him, and he had blown up at them.   
  
Then Ash started thinking about how this trip would seem without them; he was all alone, just like he had wanted to be. The old adage about being careful what you wished for was clearly old for a reason; it had been right all along.   
  
There would be no more long talks with Misty into the wee hours of the morning. There would be no more training battles with Brock, which almost always ended in a round of back-slapping and snacking anyway. There would be no one to cook, or to clean, or to help him find his way...to say nothing of his laundry! His gaze traveled downward towards Pikachu as they continued to walk. Pikachu was his best friend, but...the mouse wasn't much of a conversationalist. He was all alone.  
  
Ash was all alone.  
  
"All alone..."  
  
Ash's muttering was beginning to upset Pikachu. The Pokémon didn't like seeing Ash talk to himself. It wasn't healthy at all. "Cha?" it inquired, poking Ash in the leg with its clawed finger. This seemed to snap Ash out of his trance, which relieved Pikachu At least for now, the Pokémon wouldn't have to light its friend up with a few hundred watts. "Chu!"  
  
"C'mon, Pikachu, we've got a ferry to catch." He began to run, his legs pumping hard. He told himself that he was running to the ferry, so that they wouldn't be late. It was a lie, though. He was running away from something. He was running from his doubts.  
* * *  
  
Luckily, the ferry was only about a quarter-mile from there, which they reached easily. Pallet Town's harbor was by no means natural. The hamlet's only coastline was surprisingly rocky, composed of steep, towering cliffs lined at the bottom with small, dirty beaches. It did very little for their tourism, and had made it impossible to get any sort of trade system established there in the early colonial days. Only after a sort of sloping harbor had been blasted out of the rock with dynamite had any sort of seagoing industry been established there.  
  
Ash and Pikachu ran up the dock, still huffing from their jog, and boarded the the Seaking's Queen, the boat that made daily runs between Cinnibar and Kanto. Taking his seat on the observation deck, he quickly slipped once more into depression. Even with Pikachu, he felt...alone. It was as if something in his life had been lifted right out, leaving him incomplete. What really irked him was that his missing his friends meant that he had been wrong and Misty had been right...again. He couldn't stand it when that happened. What was worse, she wasn't even here to gloat about it. Somehow, that made it unbearable.   
  
The boat left dock with a sudden jerk, interrupting his inner moping. Powerful motors began taking them out of the carved harbor and into the choppy waters of Pallet Bay, heading towards the natural inlet that led out to the open sea. All around him, people were getting a look at the Cinnabar Channel that would take them to the famous island. Ash, however, stayed at his seat, leaving his eyes resting on his shoes; he had been on this trip a million times, and doubted that there would be anything to capture his interest. He just sat there, feeling sorry for himself. Unfortunately, his pity party didn't last nearly as long as he would have liked it to, as it was interrupted by a large shadow in the sky that blotted out the sun.  
  
"Good heavens, what is that?" One passenger cried out, pointing at the sillhouetted object descending towards the boat.  
  
The passenger sitting next to the first squinted, trying to shield his eyes from the bright glare. "It looks like a gigantic Meowth head..."  
  
Without warning, a trio of dark blurs leapt from the sillhouette, slamming into the deck with amazing agility. As Ash had suspected and feared, it was his old nemesis-in triplicate-back to cause as much trouble as they could before he left for parts unknown.  
  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
  
"And make it double!"  
  
"Oh no." Ash muttered. The trainer tried to duck, hoping that Jessie, James, and Meowth would all miss him in the crowd. The move seemed to work, as the trio continued their motto unharriedly.   
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
  
"Jessie!"  
  
"James!"  
  
Ash moaned, finally unable to stand to listen to them for another moment. He got up, grabbing a pair of Pokéballs off of his belt. "Here we go again," he muttered grimly, rolling out of his seat and moving towards the Rockets, keeping low. Pikachu scampered after him, trying to keep an equally low profile as they made their way forward.  
  
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light,"  
  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" At the final line, both Jessie and James each held up a pair of bright red flares, blinding the passengers and leaving them confused, with spots swimming in their vision.  
  
Meowth pulled a large sack out from behind his back, holding it open. "Meowth, that's right!" he cackled in his strong Brooklyn accent. He moved over to the edge of the crowd and began kicking patrons in the shins with his razor sharp toenails. "Now, I tink you buncha rich snobs should hand over your valuables, collectables, and general knick-knacks before we pulverize ya!"  
  
"You should listen to the cat," James intoned with a smirk, folding his arms after tossing the used flares overboard. "For once, he knows what he's talking about." He took a menacing step towards the passengers, who gasped in fear.  
  
"Now, hand over all your goods, and put them in the bag." Jessie held up Meowth, who held the sack in his grubby little paws. Both of the Rockets grinned maliciously, chuckling as the passengers began emptying their wallets and other such items into the brown bag. Their laughter ended quickly, though, as someone spoke out in the crowd.  
  
"Can't you guys ever just leave me alone?" came an exasperated voice from the back. The people in the crowd gasped again, this time in shock; who would have the courage to stand up to three elite agents from Team Rocket? Certainly none of them had such bravery...  
  
The Rockets were wide-eyed with shock. There shouldn't have been anyone with anything resembling a spine aboard the tourist trawler. "Who dares speak to the great Team Rocket in such an insolent manner?" Jessie demanded, anger burning in her eyes like a raging wildfire.  
  
The crowd began to part, letting their would-be savior through to face the Rockets alone. Better him than the rest of them, right? Ash stepped forward with Pikachu at his side, glaring at Team Rocket with as much spite as he could muster. "Who else?" he said. His voice had lost some of its natural bravado, but his will to fight was still sharp as ever. He squared off against the Rockets, gritting his teeth. He was risking not only his life, but also the lives of his Pokémon, and for total strangers.  
  
It was just another average day.  
  
"It's the twerp!" the three cried in unison. With as many times as Ash Ketchum had screwed up their plans, it was amazing that they were still surprised every time he showed up to foil them again.  
  
"Okay, let's get this over with." Ash said flatly. Pikachu sparked at his side, but he motioned for the mouse to hold its ground. Pikachu had already gotten a shot at them last week. It was time for another to have some fun. He activated the release on one of his Pokéballs and sent it flying. "I choose you, Wartortle! Let's mix it up!"  
  
Just as he had ordered, the ball spit out a mass of energy, which soon formed into the monster known only as Wartortle. The Pokémon loosly resembled a large, aquamarine turtle with the ability to stand on its hind legs. Its huge white feathery ears and large, fluffy tail were almost laughable, but its ability to produce massive amounts of pressurized water wasn't. In a scrape, Wartortle could be just as tough as the competition, and twice as clever. "Tortle!" it snarled at the Rockets, glaring at them with its chestnut-brown eyes.  
  
Jessie and James acted quickly, bringing out their secondary Pokémon, Victreebell and Lickitung. Victreebell was a horrible plant type, a giant bell-shaped monster that could slice through solid steel with its Razor Leaves or pound the life out of other Pokémon with its Vine Whips. Lickitung, on the other hand, was a comical pink lizard with a short, stubby tail and a tongue that was longer than the rest of its body put together. Looks could be deceiving, though; its tongue had the capability of paralyzing any and all Pokémon that it touched. "Go!" they both commanded. The two twisted Pokémon reacted instantly, rushing forward, trying to catch Wartortle off-guard.  
  
Wartortle leapt up high, never giving its opponents the opportunity to attack. Taking in a deep breath, the turtle sprayed a large column of water towards Victreebell, trying to knock it clear off the boat. Unfortunately, the only affect it had on the plant type was moving it back a couple feet. While the turtle was distracted, Lickitung jumped, sailing upward at Wartortle. With a loud slurping sound, it slapped Ash's watery warrior with its tongue. Dazed and paralyzed, Wartortle fell to the deck with a sickening thud, denting the brittle wood with its hard shell.  
  
"Okay, that wasn't the best choice." Ash muttered, recalling his old friend with the flick of a Pokéball. He grabbed another ball off of his belt, hesitating. The next move he was planning was a calculated risk, and none too safe. But Team Rocket and their Pokémon were drawing closer, leering, and he had taken enough casualties for one day. He frowned, and activated the release for his Pokéball. "Charizard, go!"  
  
Out popped Charizard, Ash's most massive Pokémon on hand. It was a fiery dragon with large, leathery wings protruding from its back and a thick, fire-tipped tail swinging about behind it. The huge orange lizard could shoot flames hundreds of feet (and thousands of degrees) at will. It never did like taking orders, though. Over the years it had gotten somewhat better, but there were still times when it disobeyed. "Charizard, Flamethrower!"  
  
With a grunt, the fire breather complied, spewing flames at both Victreebell and Lickitung. The pink-tongued lizard flinched and drew back, scalded badly by the attack. Victreebell, on the other hand, was utterly devastated by the attack. The bell-shaped plant Pokémon screeched and writhed as it caught flame. Desperately, it rolled on the ground, and managed to put the flames out. At that point, it simply flopped on the ground, all but drained of hit-points. Lickitung shuddered, scared beyond belief of this flaming terror.  
  
Charizard was obviously enjoying itself, and moved in to finish off Lickitung, ready to savor the massive victory. Thankfully for Lickitung, Jessie and James had other plans; they recalled their Pokémon and jumped back into the balloon, dragging Meowth along as they went. "We'll just get out of your way." Jessie said nervously to Ash and his Charizard, sweating bullets as she pressed a control in her jacket that called out the balloon's rope ladder. It dropped to the deck with a loud clattering, allowing the Rockets a way back into their vessel.  
  
"Sorry for the inconvenience." James assured Ash as he climbed the ladder, dragging Meowth up behind him, just as worried as Jessie was about being torched by Charizard. In the meantime, Jessie quickly lifted the balloon off of the ship's deck, desperately trying to get them away before something disasterous happened.  
  
Ash started to let them go, then decided against it; he was in a bad mood, and he might as well take it out on them. His finger pointed out the intended target as he gave his Pokémon orders. "Charizard, blow that thing out of the sky!"  
  
Charizard was all too happy to destroy something. It roared and blasted out a huge column of fire that hit the balloon. The gigantic bag of wind that held the three smaller bags of wind aloft exploded in an enormous ball of expanding gasses, hurling a shower of fiery debris across half the bay. Team Rocket streaked into the sky, flying out of sight with their imfamous motto ringing out.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
The crowd aboard the boat was cheering and applauding their unlikely hero, but he didn't hear a bit of it. He just sat back down, trying to ignore the din as the long, uneventful ride to Cinnibar continued on. For some reason, he just couldn't shake the clinging sense of depression that had settled around his shoulders. Pikachu tried to cheer him up, occassionally poking him or chattering at him, but it did no good. For the rest of the boat ride, Ash Ketchum chose to mimic the activity aboard the vessel; he was deathly quiet.  
  
* * *  
Welcome to the Oak International Airport, Gate five-ninteen." An unenthusiastic flight attendant greeted Ash and Pikachu at the gate to their flight, which would leave without them in about five minutes if they didn't hurry. "I'd like to remind you that we would appreciate it if our guests were *on-time* for the flight."  
  
"Sorry." he mumbled. He wasn't really sorry, but he figured that it might get the attendand off of his back.  
  
The attendant gave him a small, completely faked smile. "That's all right." she lied, "Just try harder...next..." she trailed off. She began to look Ash over, as if she knew him from somewhere, somehow. After a moment, a smile blossomed on her face as realization set in. "Say, aren't you Ash Ketchum, the Indigo champion?"  
  
Ash nodded dully to the airline attendant, wanting nothing more than to get on the stupid plane. He was tired after a long fight with the ticket master about taking Pikachu aboard the plane with him, instead of caging it and shoving it into the cargo hold like they wanted to. The ticket master had finally agreed when Ash had guaranteed that Pikachu would short out each and every electrical system on the plane were it caged in the hold. "Yes ma'am." he answered the attendant in an defeated voice. He had hoped that no one would recognize him before he could get away. So much for that plan...  
  
She smiled again. This time, though, it was a schmoozing smile, and not a forced one. "It's a pleasure to have our very own League Champion flying Air Pidgeot, Mr. Ketchum. Enjoy your flight!"  
  
Ash thanked the woman and handed her his ticket, finally brushing past her before she could ask for an autograph, or a picture...or worse. After navigating the narrow passageway, he made it to the interior of the plane, where another young stewardess directed him to his seat. The plane was thankfully small and uncrowded, which was just the way he liked his flights. Air Pidgeot may have been a smaller airline, but smaller airlines often had their advantages. Better food, while high on his list, was just one of those advantages. Ample window seats was another.  
  
As he and Pikachu made their way over to their seats, Ash frowned. There, sitting in his row, in the window seat, was some woman. He couldn't see her face, which was buried in some brainless fashion magazine. Looking down at his ticket, he saw that, as requested, he was supposed to get the window seat. It was *his* seat. Still, Ash was feeling too low to especially care. It was only a few hours to Motang anyway. Why get angry?  
  
He sat down in the middle seat, next to the woman, and put Pikachu in the seat next to him, strapping the mouse in for takeoff. A small rivet of pain lanced through his ribs as the woman sitting next to him rudely jabbed him with her elbow, apparrantly shifting around to get more comfortable. Ash's temper flared, but only for a moment; it was an accident, after all. He strapped in and leaned back in his seat, groaning as the tension in his back began to release.  
  
'This won't be so bad.' Ash thought, cracking his knuckles. A familiar rumbling down in his stomach told him that it was time to eat, so he hunted around his seat for the complimentary package of peanuts. Oh, how he loved them peanuts! But strangely enough, the peanuts were nowhere to be found. Where could the peanuts be? Where were Ash's peanuts? And then his search brought him to his neighbor's leg, where several empty peanut packages rested atop her knee.  
  
She had eaten more than one packet of peanuts.  
  
She had eaten his peanuts.  
  
She had eaten *his* peanuts!  
  
"That's the last straw!" Ash ground his teeth together, tapping the woman on the shoulder without a trace of delicacy. "Excuse me, *miss*," he hissed, "But I believe you ate MY peanuts."  
  
"Relax Ash," the woman replied from behind her magazine in a hauntingly familiar voice, not budging an inch, "You know I get nervous when I fly. I needed something to snack on."  
  
Ash gaped, unable to believe his ears. It couldn't be. There was just no way it was...  
  
"Misty?"  
  
"The one and only." Misty lowered the magazine, revealing her cherubic face as it grinned at him from ear to ear. Ash couldn't help but notice that she was wearing her hair differently; instead of a large mass drawn up on the side of her head, she wore the bulk of it hanging around the nape of her neck, cut far shorter than it had been a week before. A small, braided lock twisted down from her temple, almost exactly where the sideways ponytail had once been. She had also shucked her normal yellow sleeveless and shorts for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, something that she had sworn she would never wear in three lifetimes or longer. "What took you so long?" she asked him coyly.  
  
"Misty, what in the world are you doing here? And how'd you get the money for the tickets?"  
  
Pikachu, in the meantime, had managed to undo the safety strap and had leapt into Misty's lap, cooing and rubbing up against her stomach with a toothy grin on its features. Petting the Pokémon playfully, she looked at Ash and shrugged. "I paid for the tickets with your account number." Ash groaned inwardly, dreading the next League audit. He would have to consider changing the number on his League expense account before Misty bought herself that lifetime supply of chocolate she had always been angling for. "And as for why I'm here," Misty continued, "I figured that whole 'On my own' speech back at the Quarry was a huge, desperate cry for help. So, here I am, making sure you don't get yourself killed. Besides, things were awfully quiet back at Cerulean City, and-"  
  
"Thanks, Misty." He smiled, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.   
  
She returned the smile, as well as the squeeze. "No problem Ash." She leaned over, her voice growing deadly serious. "But if you ever try to ditch me again, I'll kick the living crap out of you twelve times over." And he knew without a doubt that she meant it, too.  
  
He laughed and moved Pikachu back over to the third empty seat next to him. "I wouldn't doubt it." It would almost be like old times again, which really lifted Ash's spirits. He was still a little saddened that there was something missing, but reminded himself that he didn't have anyone but himself to blame for it. His sadness quickly turned to annoyance as a flight attendant came up to them, motioning towards his Pikachu in the third seat.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to move your Pokémon."  
  
Ash frowned, irritated at the interruption. "Why?" he asked, "I didn't think anyone was assigned to this seat."  
  
"One of our late standby passengers has requested this seat specifically, sir. He practically insisted. I'm terribly sorry, but you'll have to hold your Pikachu on your lap."  
  
He complied, though Pikachu was none too happy with all this shuffling around. If there was any more irritation, the mouse might start letting out voltage all over the plane, which would not do wonders for the pilot's instrumentation. He muttered several choice words about whoever it was that preempted his Pokémon's seat...but stopped when he saw who it was.  
  
"Brock!" he and Misty shouted joyfully together. As amazing and hard to believe as it was, there was Brock, blocking the entire aisle with his armloads of carry-on luggage and a humongous grin planted on his chiseled chin.  
  
"The Rock himself." he answered them, stowing his gear overhead and plopping down in the aisle seat. Poor Brock could barely fit his massive frame in the tiny airline seats. As it was, his shoulder was already rubbing up against Ash's. "I couldn't very well leave you two unattended." he explained before either one could ask him. "You might kill each other. No, scratch that; you *will* kill each other, at least as long as I'm not around. So, here I am!"  
  
"I suppose we can't have that." Misty agreed with a nod. "So how on earth did you afford the ticket? Don't tell me your dad coughed up the cash for a world tour." Her eyes narrowed with mock suspicion. "Unless you're secretly a millionaire, and never told us..." Her expression melted into a bemused grin.  
  
Brock shrugged. "I got the money from Ash's account number, where else?"  
  
Ash groaned loudly, but smiled as he did so. Everything was right with the world again; they were all back together again, just like they should be. Was he doomed to take every adventure with someone always there, never giving him a moment's peace or privacy? Well, if that was the case, then he couldn't think of any better partners...any better friends...to take the adventure with. It had taken him a while, but he had finally learned that adventures were only adventures if they were shared.   
  
A phrase Professor Oak had said popped into his head, one that he hadn't fully understood until now: "What looks like the end is really a new beginning." It was a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. His life had seemed to simply halt ever since his original journey had ended over a year ago...but from the ashes rose Ash Ketchum once again, off on a new quest...that is, if the blasted plane would ever take off! He leaned back in his seat, waiting for takeoff and enjoying the unspoiled silence of bliss...at least, until Brock chimed in-  
  
"Hey, who ate my peanuts?"  
* * *  
  
Team Rocket sat atop the edge of their reconstructed balloon's basket. The air was charged with anticipation as they watched Ash's plane take off from the airport in a rush of jet fumes. "He's going..." Jessie said, watching the plane start to disappear over the horizon.  
  
"Going..." James was almost encouraging the plane to go faster. Despite its fantastic speed, the jet seemed to crawl through the sky. It was agonizing to watch, but it was almost over.  
  
Finally, the huge jet vanished into the sunset. Meowth popped up from down below with three glasses of sparkling mineral water. "Gone!" the talking cat shouted with glee.  
  
"No more twerp to spoil our plans." James proudly gushed, downing the mineral water and wiping his mouth clean. "Which means-"  
  
"You can take our names and put them back in the winner's column." Jessie finished, hugging him with a gleeful giggle. They were practically dancing in the balloon's basket, until a loud, beeping chime caught their attention.  
  
"It's the communicator." Meowth cried, drawing out the small, flat screen from their equipment.  
  
"The one to the...Boss?" Jessie and James gulped.  
  
Before either one of them could fumble with the switches on the small-screened box, it blinked on. The image of a well-groomed man in his late forties dominated the screen. The man-Giovanni-sat in front of them, his face a grim mask beneath his oily, slicked-back hair. He sat in his large chair, stroking his Persian as he spoke. "Jessie. James. Meowth." he barked angrily, more out of habit than anything else.  
  
They answered crisply, trying to keep the quavering out of their voices; "Ready willing and able, sir!"  
  
"My sources tell me that the Ketchum boy is leaving the island."  
  
"He just left, Boss." Meowth informed him with a salute. "He's gone, hopefully for good!"  
  
Giovanni smiled. "Then I have a new assignment for you. You are to track the boy and interfere with whatever plans he has." Before any of them could protest, or even whimper, the screen blinked off, leaving them in an awkward silence.  
  
The three Rockets slumped against the walls of the basket, falling into depression. "We just got rid of him..." James whined.  
  
"And now we have to go after him." Jessie finished the idea. "It isn't fair."  
  
"How are we gonna trip that pipsqueak up anyhow?" Meowth mused.  
  
They sat in silent thought, then smiled as one.  
  
"We'll get him the only way we know how," James said slyly. He glanced at Jessie, knowing full well that she was thinking exactly the same thing he was thinking.  
  
"By capturing Pikachu!" Jessie shouted. She grabbed James and began to dance again, looking forward to the day when they would have the electric rodent all for themselves. Oh, what a glorious day it would be!  
  
"There ain't nothin' to it but to do it." Meowth stated, folding his ropelike arms across his rounded chest. "Now let's move out!" Slowly, the balloon began to rise, running into the air currents high above the sea and swinging gently towards the sunset, and towards the new dawn to come.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again." they sang. This time, it would be different. After all, it was a new beginning. Who knew what the future held?  
  
End  
  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #2  
Psychic Psurprise 


	2. Psychic Psurprise

=Author's Note=  
There were never enough psychic trainers in the game...or the show. I always thought they were as tough as nails, and I hated going into the Saffron Gym. What better way, then, to kick off the new adventures of Ash & Crew? I hope you enjoy reading it. Comments are strongly suggested and highly appreciated.  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not owned by me. Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.  
  
BadgeQuest #2  
Psychic Psurprise  
  
"Passengers may now disembark from the boat. We hope that you have enjoyed your trip with the Polywhirl, and wish you a good stay on Medulla Isle." the cheery voice of the Captain came through the intercom.   
  
Brock was the first to get off, carrying his bags. "Boy, nothing like the good ol' sea air to cure what ails you." He drew in a lung full, savoring the salty air.  
  
Misty nodded, not far behind. "I always love a good boat ride." She heaved her bags down onto the deck; Misty was not a light traveler. Pikachu ran up and jumped up on the bags excitedly, trying to get a better view.  
  
Ash moaned and stumbled out onto the docks. "Oh, man, that was a rough ride." He wiped his mouth and dropped his bags. He still felt a little queasy, but his stomach was beginning to right itself. "I hate boats. Should've ridden Lapras."  
  
Misty chuckled. "Looks like Mr. Adventure here got a little seasick."  
  
"No, I got really seasick."  
  
Brock slapped Ash on the back. "It's okay, it happens to the best of us."  
  
"Especially land lubbers." Misty winked.  
  
Ash would have shot something back, but he felt too awful. "Let's just find a hotel to stay in...I'll yell at you later." Picking up his bags, he led them off the docks and into the city.  
  
It had been fairly easy to beat the gym leader on Motang. A Fire gym was no match for Wartortle and his powerful Water attacks. He wasn't sure what type of gym it was here. Dexter would know, thanks to his new Global Information program. He hadn't even used Dexter since getting it back from the Professor. Ash had asked the aging Pokémon scientist for a total upgrade; maybe there were other improvements.  
  
He pulled the red palmtop computer from his jacket's pocket and flipped it open. Immediately, the device said, "Hello Ash. How are you?" in its unique synthesized voice. Something was strange, though; it sounded almost...cheery?  
  
"Huh?" Ash stared at the machine. It had never done that before.  
  
"What's wrong, Ash?" Brock asked.  
  
"Something's up with Dexter..." he said, puzzled.  
  
"Nothing is 'up' with me, Ash. I was simply upgraded. New, improved, and better then ever!" the machine insisted.  
  
Now all three of them stared at it. Dexter had never talked back to him before. In fact, Dexter wasn't supposed to be able to talk back at all. "Let's call the Professor." Ash said.  
* * *  
  
After they had gotten a pair of Motel rooms (it wouldn't have been proper for a lady to dwell in a man's room, as Misty had put it), Ash had put in a call to Professor Oak's lab. It was getting late, but the scientist was always there.  
  
"Hello, Ash!" Oak's face beamed through the videophone's monitor.  
  
"Hi Professor."  
  
"How's your journey going so far Ash? Have you collected any new badges?"  
  
"I got the one on Motang Island pretty easy. Now I'm on Medulla Isle. Uh, Professor, I think something's wrong with Dexter."  
  
"Dexter? What could be wrong with him? I just upgraded him not more then a week ago."  
  
"He...talks to me."  
  
Oak frowned. "Ash, Dexter has always talked to you. It's part of his voice interface program."  
  
"No, I mean he 'talks' to me." He held up the device so Oak could see it over the phone. "Take a look."  
  
"Hey Professor!" the device chimed, "How ya been?"  
  
"Oh dear." Oak muttered over the video connection.  
  
Brock sat up thoughtfully on the bed. "It sounds like you know what's going on, Professor."  
  
"I'm afraid there might have been a slight mistake. I believe an experimental program has been downloaded into your Pokédex by accident, Ash."  
  
"Accident? Program?" Misty asked, munching on a bag of chips. She shoved her way into the vidcam's field of vision, crowding Ash and Brock.  
  
"You see, I have been attempting to create a true 'Artificial Intelligence' with the aid of Professor Westwood."  
  
"Oh, you mean Westwood 5." Ash said, recalling the eccentric scientist.  
  
"That's right. Until now, I hadn't believed it would really work."  
  
"Believe it, Oakkie!" Dexter sang.  
  
"So, Dexter's like a real person now?" Ash scratched his head, puzzled.  
  
"Real, ready and rarin' to go Ash!" Dexter insisted. "C'mon, let's go find that gym!"  
  
Oak frowned. "Just activate the satellite Internet link, Ash. I'll see about deleting those lines of code." He tapped on his keyboard.  
  
"Woah, hey, let us not be hasty." Dexter said frantically. "I mean, I kind of like that part of me. I mean, it is me!"  
  
Misty snatched Dexter from Ash's hands before he could link the device to the Professor's computer. "How could you do that to him?" she demanded.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Ash said, trying to get his Pokédex back. Misty held it out of reach, which wasn't easy considering they were almost the same height now. "It's only a machine."  
  
"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" the little red box cried.  
  
"Misty, it's a Pokédex...it's only purpose is to identify and scan Pokémon." Brock said. "You give it a personality, and it turns into a useless, goofy sidekick."  
  
Ash, Misty and Pikachu looked pointedly at Brock.  
  
"What?" he asked, confused.  
  
"Look; Dexter has a personality now, and he doesn't want to go back to the way he was." Misty said.  
  
"Give him back!" Ash yelled.  
  
"No!" Misty yelled back.  
  
Pikachu had had just about enough of this, and shocked them both. "Pika!!!"  
  
Brock plucked the Pokédex from Misty's hand while the pair was paralyzed. "Let's not make hasty decisions..." He turned to the Professor on the screen. "Professor, do you mind if we keep Dexter like this for a while?"  
  
"Not at all, Brock. I would enjoy having someone test the program out for me, and I'm sure Professor Westwood wouldn't mind. Goodbye, everyone. And good luck, Dexter!" His cheery face blinked off the screen.  
  
"Bro-ock!" Ash whined, "I thought you were on my side!"  
  
"I was." Brock said, examining the small device. "But everyone deserves a chance. Even Dexter."  
  
"If I had lips, I'd kiss you Brock!" Dexter exclaimed.  
  
"Fine." Ash finally conceded defeat, "Let's just find the gym and see about getting the badge...with Dexter." He made a face at Misty, who made a face right back at him.  
  
"Road trip, kids!" Dexter sang.  
* * *  
  
Medulla Isle's gym was fairly simple; a small, square building with a giant golden eye above the door. Ash thought it made the place look gaudy, but a gym was a gym. "Looks like this is it." he said.  
  
"Looks pretty cheap." Misty said.  
  
"It's a gym, not a parlor." Brock quipped with a smile. Misty gave him a look that would melt steel, then walked up to the door. Tugging on it, she discovered it to be open, and led the trio inside.  
  
It was like walking into a monastery; people in robes everywhere, none of them saying a word. Brock took a quick look into one of the rooms; a half-dozen people were sitting around a table, bending spoons...without their hands.  
  
"Looks like a Psychic gym, Ash."  
  
"Psychedelic." Dexter quipped.  
  
"Shut up, Dexter." Ash said angrily. He looked around. The place wasn't very big. It looked like the biggest room was down at the end of the hall. "Looks like that's where the leader is. I'd bet my hat." Tugging on his League cap, he walked down the hall, closely followed by Brock and Misty. Ash's friends didn't much like Psychic gyms; last time they had been in one, the leader had turned them into dolls. Hopefully the psychic here wouldn't be so...disturbed.  
  
The room at the end of the hall was just big enough to fit a regulation ring inside. A lone woman sat in the middle of the ring, apparently meditating.  
  
Brock's eyes (or what showed of them) grew glazed over. "She's pretty..." he drawled, commenting on her golden blonde hair and wide blue eyes.  
  
The woman's eyes focused on the trio. "If you're here for a séance, I won't be holding any more for a while; I had enough trouble getting rid of the last ghosts I called from beyond. They're terrible guests."  
  
"Um, no." Ash said, confused. "I'm here for a match with this gym's leader."  
  
"So, you desire the Medullabadge." The woman floated up in the air, catching Ash and his friends off guard. She hovered to the other end of the ring, taking her place in the trainer's box. "I am Caitlin, leader of this gym. If you want the Medullabadge, you must battle me for it."  
  
"Let's do it!" He turned his hat backwards as he always did.  
  
"Very well." She willed a Pokéball out to the center of the ring. "Go, Drowzee!"  
  
Energy shot out, forming the monster Drowzee. Drowzee was a ridiculous cross between a pig and an elephant, colored yellow on top and muddy brown on bottom. "Drow." it said.  
  
Ash selected one of his own Pokéballs and tossed it. "Go, Bulbasaur!"  
  
Ash's little green lizard popped out of its containment sphere. The tough plant type was ready for action after so many days of inactivity. "Bulba!" he shouted.  
  
"Drowzee, Pound attack." Caitlin ordered, still floating. Drowzee came at Bulbasaur at surprisingly fast speed, bringing both of its stubby arms up to pound the seed lizard into the floor. But Bulbasaur was too quick for it, dodging at the last second.  
  
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" The second Ash ordered it, Bulbasaur's vines shot out of its bulb and slashed at the Drowzee. The Psychic type was hurt, but not out yet.  
"Drowzee, disable."  
Ash frowned and brought out Dexter. Flipping the device open, he scanned Bulbasaur. "Vine Whip is now disabled." Dexter reported mechanically. Then the computer's personality took over. "Looks like that move's kaput, Ash. Try the Razor Leaf."  
  
"I know that!" he shouted at the box. "Bulbasaur, hit it with your Razor Leaf!"  
  
Bulbasaur shot several spinning leaves out of its bulb. Normally, leaves weren't dangerous, but they were highly effective weapons when they were razor-sharp and moving very, very fast. They struck Drowzee with the full force of the attack, knocking it down. The Psychic type didn't get up again.  
  
Caitlin recalled her Drowzee. "So, you are more talented then you look."  
  
"I sure am." Ash said proudly. Then he thought about it. "Hey!"  
  
"You defeated me once. It will not happen again." She selected another Pokéball. "Hypno, I choose you."  
  
Out sprang Hypno, Drowzee's evolved form. It was all yellow, with tuffs of white hair around its wrists, ankles and neck. It clutched an old-fashioned watch in one hand, which it used to produce powerful hypnotic attacks. "Hyp-no." it cackled as soon as it saw Bulbasaur.  
  
"Oh, this is bad." Brock grimaced. "One psychic hit, and Bulbasaur's gone for sure."  
  
"Then we'll attack first!" Ash shouted, "Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!"  
  
"Saur!" his dog-lizard answered, taking aim.  
  
"Hypno, Hypnosis attack." Caitlin ordered quickly.  
  
Hypno jumped right in front of Bulbasaur and unleashed a powerful series of psychic waves. Before the seed Pokémon could react, it was out like a light.  
  
"Oh, man..." Ash moaned.  
  
Hypno poked Bulbasaur with his foot a few times, chuckling with his own limited vocabulary. "Hyp-no, hyp-hyp-noooo."  
  
"Hypno, Psybeam."  
  
Hypno immediately shot Bulbasaur across the ring, blasting the froggy lizard with a powerful psychic ray. Bulbasaur fainted before it ever hit the ground.  
  
"You have one Pokémon remaining. Do you wish to continue the match, or would you like to forfeit?" Caitlin asked smugly.  
  
Ash was about to shout a retort when Brock stepped forward and shoved Ash out of the way. "He forfeits!" Brock exclaimed.  
  
"Brock, what're you doing?" Ash shot.  
  
"Very well. Perhaps with time, you will become as good a trainer as I." Caitlin said. "Leave now."  
* * *  
The three friends walked along, trying to find this town's Pokémon Center. Ash cradled Bulbasaur in his arms, letting Pikachu trail alongside him. "Brock, why'd you do that? I could have taken her."  
  
"Ash, that Hypno was too strong."  
  
"Not for Pikachu!" He looked down at the electric mouse, who nodded in agreement.  
  
"Look Ash; Bulbasaur is already hurt, pretty bad by the looks of it. Would you want Pikachu like that too?" Brock glared at Ash through his squint.  
  
Ash looked down at Bulbasaur. The little lizard was one of his oldest friends, and he couldn't stand the thought of losing it. "Bul..." it moaned weakly, looking up at him.  
  
"I know, I know..." Ash finally conceded. "It's just...I haven't forfeited a match like that in a long time. I didn't want to start again."  
  
"Well, get off your high horse and join the rest of us Pokémon trainers, Mr. League Champion; sometimes you have to lose in order to win." Misty shot at him. It only made him feel worse, which made Misty feel bad herself. Her voice softened. "Look, you weren't ready for a Psychic gym here...it happens."  
  
"I have to be the best." he replied, though not in his usual loud manner. "If I'm going to be the greatest Master around, I have to be ready for any situation."  
  
Finally, they spotted the Center. Like most, it had a giant Pokéball on top and a friendly air about it. Not a bad place, considering most people went there because their Pokémon were sick or hurt. "Looks like that's the Center." Misty said.  
  
Brock jumped into the air with glee. "Nurse Joy, here I come! It'll be great to see a familiar face." His expression grew to its mushy lovestruck grin, the kind he always had when seeing a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny. "Especially a beautiful face like Joy's!" He ran past Ash and Misty and flew through the doors in a flash.  
  
Despite all that had happened, Ash shook his head. "Same old Brock."  
  
"Does he ever change?" said a muffled voice from inside Ash's pocket.  
  
"Shut up, Dexter." Ash groaned tiredly. His Pokédex was becoming a nuisance to deal with.  
  
Before anyone could say another word, a horrified scream came from within the center. Ash and Misty ran up the steps, Pikachu fast on their heels. Inside, all seemed quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary; a waiting area, a front desk, a Nurse-  
  
Ash blinked. Whoever was standing behind the counter, it certainly wasn't a Nurse Joy.  
  
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center, where we heal your Pokémon back to perfect health." said the big, burly, hairy man standing behind the counter. Professor Oak had been right, things were very different off of the island.  
  
"Uh, hi. I need you to take care of my Bulbasaur." He placed the sickly Pokémon up into the man's waiting arms.  
  
"We'll have him up and running in no time." the man said unexcitedly. He put Bulbasaur on a gurney and wheeled him into the back room.  
  
Ash looked around. "Brock?"  
  
"Over here, Ash." came Misty's voice.  
  
Ash turned towards the waiting area, and saw Brock sitting in one of the chairs, stupefied. Misty was sitting next to him, making sure he was still alive. "He must've gone into shock when he saw that big guy behind the counter."  
  
"Joy Shock." Ash agreed. It had happened more then once in all the years Brock had been with them. Though it usually wasn't induced by not seeing Nurse Joy. Ash shrugged. "He should be all right in a few minutes." He sat down on the other side of Brock, thinking.  
  
Misty glanced at him. "What're you thinking about?" she asked.  
  
"Hmm?" He frowned. "That Hypno looked like it had a glass jaw. I'm betting that if I could just get one hit in, that thing would be kissing the mat in no time. I just have to figure out how."  
  
Misty blinked, then smiled. "Well, I'll be a Mankey's uncle; it finally happened."  
  
"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked, confused.  
  
"A couple years ago...heck, even a month ago, you would have charged in there again and again until either you or your Pokémon were totally exhausted. Now you're coming up with plans. I'm actually proud."  
  
"Well, stop taking so much pride, and start thinking. I need some way to beat that Hypno."  
  
Brock sat up. Apparently the Joy Shock had worn off faster then usual. "Well, obviously, there are two particular types that work well against psychic Pokémon; ghosts, and other psychics."  
  
"Well, I don't have any ghost Pokémon...Haunter's been living with Sabrina for years now..." Ash mused, "And my only psychic Pokémon is an Abra."  
  
"You might as well pull Abra out through the computer system." Misty said, "He's going to be the only one that even stands a chance against Hypno." Pikachu nodded in agreement.  
  
"Fine." He pulled his Pokédex out of his pocked and flipped it open. "Dexter, put in a request for Professor O-"  
  
"I already did, Ash. Abra is being prepped for arrival by one of Oak's assistants, and should be here in a few minutes." Dexter responded crisply.  
  
Ash was taken aback. "Huh..." Well, I suppose there are a few bright points about Dexter being...well, himself now. "Okay then, now all we need is a plan."  
  
"Hey, it's the Losers!"  
  
All three of them turned to their left to see Gary Oak standing arrogantly, looming over them. "I would have bet that you three wouldn't have had the guts to leave the island." He smirked. "Especially you, Ketchum."  
  
"I thought they kept lame trainers like you on the island, Oak." Ash shot back, "You know, so they don't mess up the rest of the planet."  
  
Gary frowned. "I just came here to start my World Tour."  
  
"You're just starting your World Tour now?" Ash said smugly. "I've been on mine practically forever."  
  
"Guess that means you're taking too long."  
  
Ash growled.  
  
"I just needed to stop by the Center to pick up my psychic Pokémon...that way, I grab the badge and be out of here before you can say 'Outclassed', Ketchum." He laughed and went over to the transporter, which crackled to life. "Here they come!"  
  
The transporter created a glowing white ball of energy, which soon formed into a Pokéball. Gary picked it up and scanned it with his own Pokédex. "Hey, this isn't mine. It's your lousy Abra." He tossed the ball away, making Ash scramble to catch it.  
  
Dexter saw the other Pokédex. "Hey cousin, how's it going?"  
  
"Unknown command." the other Pokédex said.  
  
"Tell your stupid Pokédex to leave mine alone!" Gary said to Ash. Then he stopped and blinked. "Hey, how'd he do that?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Talk!"  
  
Brock winked at Misty and Ash. The movement had little effect, considering how open Brock's eyes usually were. "Your Pokédex talks too, Gary." The master of Rock said slyly.  
  
"Yeah, but...Aw, forget it!" He got his own Pokéballs out of the machine and stomped out.  
  
Misty hid her giggling behind her hand, then forced herself to get serious. "So what do we do now?"  
  
"Now?" Ash attached Abra's ball to his belt. "Now, we wait. Tomorrow we have a rematch."  
* * *  
  
"You wish a rematch? How..." Caitlin searched for the right word.  
  
"Brave? Noble?" Brock suggested hopefully.  
  
"Foolish." she decided with a smirk.  
  
The gym was particularly hot that morning. Ash wiped away beads of sweat from his forehead and replaced his hat. "Let's do this. One-on-one match, winner takes the badge."  
  
"But I already hold the badge."  
  
"Don't get technical on me." He yanked Abra's Pokéball off of his belt and activated it. He tossed it hard. "Go!" he shouted out of habit.  
  
Ash's Pokéball spit out Abra, one of the few psychic Pokémon. It was yellow, but bigger than Pikachu. It had a hard exoskeleton, small slotted eyes and pointed ears. "All right Abra, let's do this! I know we can win if we really try!"  
  
Now would be the unpleasant part. To control a Psychic Pokémon, one required psychic abilities. Ash didn't have telepathy or telekinesis, but he did have the next best thing, which he pulled from his bag. It was a small gadget with blinking lights, which fitted around the curve of Ash's ear. He put it on and activated it, wincing; Professor Oak's Psychic Facilitator had always given him headaches, but it gave him enough psychic abilities to control a Pokémon. He couldn't float like Caitlin, but at least Abra would listen to him. "Let's do this! It's time to show what we're made of!" His eyes began to glow with artificial kinesis. He grinned; He knew they could to it this time.  
* * *  
  
Misty looked from their motel's upper deck out at the ocean. This place wasn't the Ritz, but it had a nice view. She saw a lone figure sitting on the sand, letting his Wartortle out to play in the surf. Brock walked up behind her and leaned against the railing. "How long has he been out there?"  
  
"How should I know, I don't keep track of Ash's schedule."  
  
Brock gave her a look.  
  
Misty sighed. "At least an hour. I haven't seen him this bad since his first league games." She frowned. "He needs to grow up."  
  
"Maybe..." Brock said. "But look at it from his perspective; he's out here in a totally new place, trying his best to do what he's good at and coming up short." He looked at her with his eternal squint. "I know that would get me kind of down, at the very least."  
  
She nodded. "One of us should go talk to him. Maybe see if we can lift his spirits."  
  
"You'd better do it."  
  
She was surprised; usually Brock was the one to give pep talks. "Why me?"  
  
"Because I'm not the one still in love with him."  
  
She laughed in shock. "Me? In love with him?" She forced another laugh. "If you remember, I was the one who broke it off."  
  
"Okay." Brock said causally.  
  
She frowned. "I mean, come on; it's Ash."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"I'll prove it. I'll go down there and cheer him up, just to get him back on his feet." She turned in a huff and walked down the stairs, then started jogging out where her friend moped on the beach.  
  
Brock smiled. Sometimes it was too easy.  
  
Misty walked towards Ash, grumbling. Her young companion was sitting with his back to a rock, watching Wartortle and Pikachu splash around in the surf. "All right, get up!" she ordered, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not going to get any badges sitting there, Mr. Indigo League Champion."  
  
Ash didn't budge. "League Champion? Haven't seen any of those around. Just some stupid kid who doesn't have a clue what he's doing."  
  
She rolled her eyes and kicked sand on him. "Grow up, Ash. So you lost...twice. Big deal."  
  
"It is."  
  
She sat down next to him and got out a few of her own Pokéballs. "And why is that?"  
  
"I'm supposed to be the best in the entire League. I should be able to handle gym leaders without a second thought."  
  
"Ash, Gym leaders don't compete in the league. Plus, they have challengers come to them. Of course their Pokémon are going to be high leveled!" She brought out her Pokémon; Seaking, Seadra, Staryu, Starmie, Psyduck and Togepi. She held onto Togepi, letting the rest of them play with Pikachu and Wartortle. "Did you think this was going to be a walk in the park?"  
  
"I thought I would perform up to my usual levels." He laughed sardonically. "Maybe mom was right; maybe Pokémon isn't what I should do with my life."  
  
She was shocked. Ash had often doubted himself, but never enough to consider quitting. "What?"  
  
"You always said I had more luck than skill."  
  
"Yeah, but-"  
  
"Fate watches over fools and children." Ash quoted. "I got that one off of Dexter." He looked down at his Pokédex. "The old Dexter, I mean."  
  
Dexter chose this moment to pipe in. "Ash, I hate to intervene in this solemn moment of thought and reflection-"  
  
"Shut up Dexter." Ash shouted angrily, "I'm sick and tired of it. I'm tired of the corny jokes, I'm tired of your stupid opinions and I'm tired of you butting in!"  
  
"Yeah, but-"  
  
"BUT WHAT?"  
  
"Well, it's just that Team Rocket's about to steal your Pokémon."  
  
Ash looked up; Team Rocket, armed with their Gyarados submarine, were chasing after Pikachu and all of Misty and Ash's combined Water Pokémon. Ash had been so busy feeling sorry for himself, he hadn't noticed the lumbering sea vessel's attack. "Oh my gosh!" he cried, jumping up.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie shouted at the top of her lungs from inside the sub.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" James strained to be heard.  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
  
"Jessie!"  
  
"James!"  
  
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."  
  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"  
  
Ash tried to think quickly, sizing up the situation. It didn't look good. Wartortle was his best bet this close to the ocean, but Team Rocket already had him in a net suspended between their sub's extendable arms, along with all the other Pokémon. "Any ideas?" he asked Misty.  
  
She shook her head. "I'm fresh out of ideas...and Pokémon."  
  
"Then we improvise." Ash started out in a dead run for the sub.  
  
Jessie popped her head out the hatch and looked at their haul; an entire net of water Pokémon, all theirs. The best part was, that Pikachu couldn't use any of its electrical attacks without hurting his friends. It was totally helpless. "Looks like we really got a good batch this time...these look like real keepers." she squealed gleefully.  
  
"We netted enough gross to bring us outta the red and into the black!" Meowth exclaimed from inside the sub.  
  
"This catch of the day will help us catch the Boss's attention!" James added his own two cents to the mix.  
  
Jessie smiled at their new Pokémon...right up until Ash slammed the hatch down on her head from behind, bouncing her down into the sub. He looked over his shoulder, making sure Misty was all right climbing up the side of the sub as he had, then looked at the net. It looked pretty sturdy, and he didn't have anything to cut it with. "So how do we get them out?"  
  
"None of my Pokémon have cut ability." she said, frustrated. She looked at the beach, which was getting farther and farther away; the sub was moving.  
  
Ash thought hard. His didn't have cut either, and he couldn't risk Charizard burning through the net. He looked through the net; the Pokémon looked okay, but Misty's Psyduck was starting to freak out. He had to come up with something quick.  
  
Jessie emerged from the hatch once more, angered and in a fair amount of pain. "You little twerp, I'll make you pay for that!" She threw out a Pokéball. "Go Lickitung!"  
  
Lickitung popped out, ready to fight. "Licki!" it exclaimed. It started forward for Ash menacingly.  
  
"Oh, this is bad." Ash muttered. He didn't have time to come up with a strategy to beat Lickitung and get the Pokémon free at the same time.  
  
"Ash, think of something!" Misty said furiously. Anger had always been her way of dealing with fear.  
  
Luckily, their salvation came in the form of a Golbat smashing into Lickitung. Golbat sunk its teeth into the lizard's pink flesh and began draining hit-points. Ash and Misty turned their heads towards the shore. They saw Brock standing in the distance, waving and shouting. "Looks like we get a reprieve..." Ash said.  
  
"I don't think so, twerp!" James said, shoving his way out the hatch and past Jessie. He threw his own Pokéball, which spat out Weezing. It came at them, screeching. "Wheeeee."  
  
Ash pulled a ball off of his belt, activated it and threw it without thinking. Here's hoping, he thought. The ball spit out Pidgeot, his bird Pokémon. Finally, a stroke of luck in his favor; the bird could blow away Weezing's attacks with a simple gust from its wings. "Pidgeot, go get 'em!"  
  
James smiled confidently. "Weezing, Toxic Gas!"  
  
Weezing began pouring a green gas from its mouths directly at Pidgeot. The bird began coughing and fell limp to the deck. Ash winced; detoxification could take hours, and wasn't something he would wish on any Pokémon, whether it was his or not. "Pidgeot!" he shouted. Weezing began approaching Ash and Misty standing by the net.  
  
"Okay, time for plan B." Ash muttered. As soon as I figure out what that is...  
  
"Ash, use Psyduck!" Dexter called out from his pocket.  
  
"Dexter, sh-" Ash stopped. "Of course!" He turned back to the net, drew back his fist...and began to beat Psyduck about the head.  
  
Misty beamed. "Dexter, that's brilliant!" she stepped in next to him and began to help.  
Psyduck was not pleased about this. Its empty eyes began to glow cobalt blue as its headache grew to massive proportions. "Psy-yi-yi-yi-yi!" it screamed.  
  
"Punishing your own Pokémon for your failure isn't going to help." Jessie laughed as Weezing floated above the pair.  
  
Psyduck's headache reached critical. Ash and Misty turned, smiling. "I beg to differ." the Mistress of Water said with a grin.  
  
That was when the net exploded.  
  
Rather, it split open under Psyduck's confusion attack. Weezing was the next to suffer its fury; he was spun and slammed into the sub as the other Pokémon escaped the tangle of the net. Jessie and James both looked at each other.  
  
"Hey, what the heck is goin' on out there?" Meowth called from below, still pedaling with his stubby feet.  
  
"Looks like we're blasting off again." they told him with defeat in their voice.  
  
Ash, Misty and the Pokémon were knocked into the water as the sub flew up into the air and blinked out of sight. Ash pulled out his Pokédex from his pocket, dripping but fine.  
  
"Boy, I'm glad I'm waterproofed." the machine said.  
  
"Dexter, that was genius!" Misty praised the small device.  
  
"Not too shabby, Dexter." Ash had to admit. "How'd you think of that?"  
  
"I was already thinking of Psychic attack battle strategy for your next match, and the answer just came to me." Dexter stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"What? You've been coming up with strategies?" Ash was truly astounded; clearly, this Artificial Intelligence was less artificial and more intelligent than Professor Oak had let on.  
  
"Yeah, I already figured out how you can beat Caitlin, lickity-split."  
  
"WHAT? Why didn't you say something?"  
  
Dexter sounded sad. "I figured you would just tell me to shut up again."  
  
"Well, what's your plan?"  
  
"Well, since you asked; all you have to do is-"  
* * *  
  
"You return a third time? Most surprising...and yet, somehow pathetic." Caitlin sneered at Ash as she floated above the fighting ring.  
  
"Yeah, well, that's me; never stay down, no matter how many times you knock me off my feet." Ash gave a grin of false confidence. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach bouncing around. "So what say we get this over with?" He clipped the Psychic Facilitator onto his ear, wincing as he activated it. The familiar headache accompanied the limited psychokinetic abilities that the device provided.  
  
"Agreed. One-on-one?" Ash nodded in agreement, and she called out her Hypno. Ash in turn called out Abra. Brock and Misty stood behind the Trainer's square, adding moral support. Ash was glad; he could use any edge he could get. Pikachu stood on the edge of the ring, aching to get into the fight. Ash felt bad that his longtime partner couldn't get in on the action, but he had to stick with the plan. "Get ready Abra." He patted his pocket and whispered hoarsely, "I hope this works Dexter."  
  
"So do I. Actually, now that I think of it, it's a pretty stupid plan..." the machine started second-guessing itself.  
  
"It's a little late to switch plans." Ash muttered. He turned his hat backwards.  
  
"Begin the match." Caitlin called out. Immediately her Hypno sprang out with all its confidence seeming to ooze from its pores. It powered up for a Psybeam.  
  
"Abra, teleport!" It wasn't time for the move yet; he had to pick his moment.  
  
Abra became engulfed in white light, and disappeared the instant before Hypno's Psybeam struck the floor where the yellow Psychic type had sat. It reappeared behind Hypno and sat there sleeping with an air of calm, as only an Abra could. Hypno again tried a Psybeam, but Abra teleported away again. And again. And again.  
  
It was beginning to get monotonous. Besides that, Ash didn't know how long Abra could keep it up. Finally, the moment came; as Hypno powered up for a Psywave, the Pokémon leaned forward just enough to make his balance a little bit wobbly.  
  
"Here goes..." Ash said a quick prayer and then shouted his command. "Abra, Teleport Smash!"  
  
Abra disappeared. For an instant, Hypno turned about the ring, trying to find its opponent. It wasn't anywhere. Then Abra reappeared-  
  
Right over Hypno's head.  
  
Before the hypnotic Pokémon could get out of the way, Abra landed squarely on its head, smashing its cranium into the ring's floor. Abra rolled off of Hypno's head; the other Pokémon didn't get up.  
  
Ash stood there dumbfounded as Misty, Brock and Pikachu cheered. "I don't believe that worked!" he finally said. He pulled Dexter out and began to jump into the air with the small Pokédex. "Dexter, it actually worked! Woo-hoo!" he cheered.  
  
Caitlin was disappointed, but smiling. "Congratulations young trainer, you defeated me." A small badge floated out of her jacket and over to Ash; it was a golden eye, exactly like the one over the gym's door. "I bestow upon you the Medulabadge. Well fought."  
  
"Thank you." Ash nodded humbly. Brock rolled his eyes. Right now Ash was contained and modest; as soon as they stepped out of the gym, he would be cheering and patting himself on the back until they got to the next gym.  
  
As they walked out of the building, Ash pulled Dexter out. "Well Dexter, I have to say-"  
  
"Incoming message from Oak Labs in Pallet Town." Dexter cut in. Professor Oak's face appeared on Dexter's screen.   
  
"Ash, hello!" the aging scientist greeted his protégé.  
  
"Hi Professor. What's up?"  
  
"Well, it's been a few days, and I wanted to check and see how things were going-"  
  
Ash beamed proudly and put the Medulabadge into the vidcam's view. "Couldn't be better, Professor!"  
  
Oak smiled. "Ah, a new badge. However, I was referring to Dexter. You've had a few days to test him out with the programming. I can still delete it if you like."  
  
Ash scoffed. "What? I wouldn't even think of changing Dexter!" Misty and Brock both rolled their eyes. Ash made a point of ignoring them. "I think Dex is fine just the way he is."  
  
Oak nodded, still smiling. "I thought you might. Well, good luck Ash. Oh, by the way, Gary's there on the island too. If you see him, you might give him a few strategies on beating the gym leader there. From what he told me, he's having a bit of trouble."  
  
"I'll see if I can find him Professor." Ash said with a smirk. Oak closed the link.  
  
Dexter was exuberant, of course. "All right!" The device displayed a hand with the fingers in a 'V', one of Ash's signature moves. "The four amigos we!" it said. Pikachu gave an insulted cry. "Sorry Pikachu, I meant five."  
  
They all shook their heads. Hopefully, Dexter wouldn't talk this much during their journey.  
  
"Hey, maybe this is just the beginning for me!" Dexter said, "People will find out 'The Real Power Behind Champion Ash Ketchum!' I could be a cultural icon. A hero even!"  
  
Ash looked to Misty and Brock. Brock just shook his head, while Misty giggled.  
  
"Maybe there'll even be a TV show! The Adventures of Dexter the Pokédex and Friends. Obviously, we'd get some actors and actresses to fill in for you guys, seeing as how you're not pretty enough to be on television, but as for me-"  
  
Ash flipped the power toggle. Dexter's lights faded, and it fell silent.  
  
Brock shrugged. "Well, at least you didn't delete him."  
  
End  
  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #3  
Blastoff to Disaster  



	3. Blastoff To Disaster

=Author's Note=  
I fell in love with the idea of the motley trio impersonating Team Rocket after I saw the Duplica episode. I merely decided to expand on a good idea. Am I stealing the plot? Probably. Still, I thought it was a fun story. Enjoy!  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not owned by me. Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.  
  
  
BadgeQuest #3  
Blastoff to Disaster  
  
"You won't get away, twerp!" Jessie howled as Arbok shot forward.  
  
Ash, his hat turned around in its usual battle position, shot back, "I'm not going anywhere!" Pikachu made a run for Arbok with sparks flying from its cheeks. The trainer looked around nervously as a crowd began to form around them. Out here in the middle of the street, it was important that no one get caught up in their battle; the last thing they needed to worry about was hurting someone with their attacks.  
  
The Pokémon locked in battle, spark and poison sting flying every which way.  
  
"Arbok, wrap!" Jessie commanded.  
  
As Arbok began to squeeze the life out of Pikachu, Ash ordered, "Pikachu, Thunder now!"  
  
Thunder. Pikachu's most devastating attack. It was risky with all the people standing around, but Ash wanted Arbok done with one hit. The sky lit up as a solid column of electricity poured down upon Pikachu and Arbok. Pikachu was fine, naturally; when your own body produces electricity, even the highest amounts of voltage can't harm you. Arbok, however, wasn't as fine. The snake screeched and fell down, completely drained of hit-points.  
  
Misty was having an equal amount of success with James and his Weezing. "Starmie, Hydro Pump that Weezing outta here! Starmie, Misty's nova-shaped water Pokémon, floated high in the air and sprayed the multi-headed set of orbs. Weezing was driven back into a store window. Glass sprayed everywhere, causing people to run in panic.   
  
Brock and Onix charged Meowth, who was trying to get a rubber net in place to capture Pikachu. The Rock trainer frowned; if people started to panic, there could be a stampede, even a riot. "Onix, Rock Throw!"  
  
Onix dug his mouth into the street and ripped up a huge chunk of asphalt. He chucked it at Meowth. The cat Pokémon was about to launch his net when he noticed a large shadow blocking his light. He looked up just in time to see the large boulder of street squash him from above. "That's one down!" Brock called out to his friends.  
  
"Make that two!" Ash called back. Jessie lay on top of her Arbok, equally as charred; she had made the mistake of trying to grab Pikachu without the aid of rubber gloves.  
  
"And Misty's makes three." their aquatic friend hollered. James and Weezing were unconscious on the ground, both sopping wet.  
  
"No blasting off for these guys." Dexter quipped from inside Ash's jacket.  
* * *  
  
New Soho Island had a fairly nice prison, as far as Ash could tell. He had been in a few prisons on Pokémon Island, but these were a lot better...at least from this side of the bars. Jessie, James and Meowth didn't seem to like them as well.  
  
"Well, it's good to finally see these guys behind bars." Brock said with his arms folded. "It's about time, too."  
  
"I'll say," Misty chimed in. She leaned up close to the bars. "Is there anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable?" she gloated to the captured Rockets.  
  
James perked up. "Actually, some mineral water might be nice." Jessie smacked him on the head and Meowth dug his claws into James's leg. "Ow!"  
  
"Quiet, fool." Jessie snapped. She leered at Misty. "We don't need anything from these twerps."  
  
Meowth shook a claw at the Trio. "Thanks to you kids, we'll miss our rendezvous with the other Rockets and-" Jessie and James clamped their hands over Meowth's extraordinarily sized mouth.  
  
"Stop blowing our secrets!" James hollered.  
  
Brock frowned. "Rendezvous? With other Team Rocket members?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That can't be good."  
  
Ash nodded in agreement. "Where's this meeting?" he demanded.  
  
"And what's going to happen there?" Misty chimed in.  
  
Pikachu sparked and demanded information in its own limited vocabulary.  
  
"Maybe these will help." Officer Jenny, the policewoman who had made the arrest on Team Rocket (and had nearly arrested Ash, Misty and Brock to boot) walked in holding up pieces of paper. "We confiscated them from these three when we made the arrest." She handed them to Brock's outstretched hand. "I think they're tickets of some kind."  
  
It was lucky for Brock that this Jenny was a plain-looking woman; had she been beautiful, he would have been incapacitated with dreamy-eyed lust, as he almost always was. "They look like plane tickets...Giovanni Airways, 5:00 tomorrow for Mount Moon airport." He looked at James. "You were returning to the island. Why?"  
  
"We'll never tell you!" James insisted.  
  
"That way you'll never help out the Laramie girl!" Meowth snickered, then slapped his hand over his own mouth. "Oh no!"  
  
"Laramie? Laura Laramie?" Ash said. "The papers said she went on a training trip a week ago."  
  
Jessie smiled. "That was just a ruse. Team Rocket will use her to take all of the Big P Ranch's Pokémon and resources."  
  
Misty frowned. "We can't let them get away with this!" Pikachu meanwhile was yelling at Team Rocket for their fiendish plot, shaking its tiny, clawed fists and bearing its razor-sharp fangs. "We have to rescue her."  
  
"No." Brock said. "The instant they know we're coming, they'll turn tail and run, move them to somewhere we can't get at her."  
  
"We have their plane tickets." Ash said. "We can use those to get there before they know it."  
  
Misty glared at Ash. "Giovanni Airways is a private charter service Ash! They'll be expecting Jessie, James and Meowth." She pointed to the names on the tickets.  
  
Brock pondered the problem for a minute while Misty and Ash had one of their larger fights. Then he turned again to James. "Do they know what you look like?" he asked.  
  
"Well...no. I mean, we don't exactly have IDs in Team Rocket, besides the incredibly fashionable uniforms." He looked down at the 'R' on his chest. "Say, when is laundry day here? My jacket is getting gray and soiled."  
  
"Sounds like you have an idea, young man." Officer Jenny said.  
  
The Rock grinned. "We will use these tickets."  
  
Ash and Misty stopped their fighting. "Uh, Brock, have you lost it?"  
  
"Yeah. We aren't Team Rocket."  
  
Brock had a glimmer in his squinty eyes. "They won't know that." His friends stared at him, dumbfounded. In the meantime Brock turned to Jenny. "I need you to contact Pewter City officials for me; if we're going to Mt. Moon, we'll need their help on this one." The policewoman nodded.  
  
"But Brock-" his friends said in unison.  
  
"Okay guys, here's the plan..."  
* * *  
  
Brock finished with the special hair dye and checked in the hotel mirror; his hair was now a horrifying electric blue. Whoever was meeting them may not know exactly what Jessie and James looked like, but they probably had a general description of them. He turned his head; not pretty, but effective. Next he got out the custom-fit uniform; once he had laid out his plan to Officer Jenny, she had been more than willing to give him the resources he needed, though she didn't like the idea of a couple of kids doing this. There was no one, however, that knew enough about Pokémon or Team Rocket in either this department or the one in Pewter City to pull this operation. It would have to be them.  
  
Someone was knocking on the door. "C'mon in!" he called.  
  
Misty walked in. She was attired in her own Team Rocket uniform, tugging at it uncomfortably. It revealed a bit much of her slim, attractive figure, more then she would have cared for it to. To add insult to injury, her orange-red hair had been died a comical fire engine red. "How do I look?" she said, twirling once.  
  
He looked her over. "Not bad for a villain." The both smiled. It might be fun playacting Team Rocket. "So where's Ash?"  
  
"Dunno, I haven't seen him since he left. Hasn't he gotten back ye-"  
  
The heavy pounding on the door interrupted Misty. She turned around and opened it, then had to stifle a laugh. "Hi Ash." she said with a choked snicker.  
  
He too wore a Team Rocket uniform...but that was the end of their similarities. He was hatless, and his semi-long hair was bleached white. He wore heavy combat boots and a big, gaudy knife on his belt. His cheek sported a picture of a smiling Meowth's head. "This is a stupid plan, Brock. How am I supposed to pull off Meowth like this?" He gestured down at himself. Pikachu followed in behind its trainer, trying not to split a gut laughing.  
  
Brock smiled. "Now Ash, we don't exactly have a talking Meowth on hand."  
  
"Not one that's on our side, anyway." Misty added.  
  
"So, we'll make due; you'll be a rough-and-ready soldier who got the nickname Meowth because of that 'tattoo' on your face."  
  
Ash ran a thumb over the Meowth head on his face without fear of smudging it; it was a semi-permanent paint, and wouldn't come off without a solvent and a lot of scrubbing. "But why do I have to be Meowth?"  
  
Misty grinned, still trying to hold in her laughter. "Well, I can't very well play Meowth. I mean, someone has to be Jessie, and I don't think either of you two is 'built' for the job." She ran a hand over her figure.  
  
"And it was my idea. Besides," Brock stood up, "I'm bigger and stronger than you, and therefore can make you do what I want." He winked at Misty, an action that had little meaning considering how open his eye was to begin with. "It can't be that bad."  
  
"Oh no?" He turned around to show them a small strip of white cloth protruding from the back of his pants. "My uniform has a tail. Look at this and tell me how not bad it is."  
  
Misty couldn't hold it in any longer, and collapsed on the bed with laughter. Pikachu joined in, rolling on the floor and pointing with a clawed finger. Brock remained under control, but just barely. "I suggested it; I thought it added character."  
  
"Brock, it's a tail on my uniform."  
  
Misty was getting tears in her eyes, she was laughing so hard. "It's-a very good look-for you." she said between laughs and deep breaths.  
  
"It's a tail...on my uniform."  
  
Brock looked at his watch. "We'd better get going." He started for the door and tugged on Ash's 'tail.' "C'mon Meowth, get your tail in gear."  
  
"It's a tail...on my uniform." he said through gritted teeth. Misty followed, laughing.  
* * *  
  
"You the three special agents sent to help us?" their greeter asked.  
Brock nodded, stretching his aching muscles. He preferred walking to plane trips by far. "That's us." he said.  
  
The Rocket nodded and pointed to a van.  
"Where's the limo?" Ash growled, cracking his knuckles.  
Brock smiled. Ash had channeled his rage into getting his character down pretty well.  
  
The Rocket gave Ash a funny look. "I'm guessing you're Meowth?"  
  
"You seen anyone else to fit the description?"  
  
He opened the door for the trio, eyeing Ash's 'tattoo'. "No, I just assumed that it would be an actual Meowth..."  
  
"Guess again."  
  
He shrugged. "The name's Blazer." he said. "You need anything, you let me know."  
  
The ride from the private airfield to Mount Moon was fairly quiet, as well as short. Misty appreciated the scenery; it was a nice change from the inside of a plane, or the oppressive landscape of a city. Brock...'James' and Blazer seemed engrossed on some topic of training. Thanks to Brock's fast talking, no one save Misty noticed Ash-Meowth slip a small yellow rodent, a very small egg-like shape and an even smaller red device into the back of the truck. Ash gave her a conspiratorial wink and turned to face the front once more.  
  
"So, I hear you guys got a really mean set of Poison Pokémon." Blazer said, trying to make conversation.  
  
"Traded them in." Ash said.  
  
Blazer raised an eyebrow.  
  
"We're trying out some new ones. Just stole them last week." Brock quickly explained.  
  
Blazer nodded and grinned. "That's the Team Rocket way."  
* * *  
  
The cavern inside Mt. Moon was bigger than any cave they had seen before; you could fit an entire amusement park in it and still have room for three Pokémon centers, and a gym to boot. That wasn't what surprised them, though. What really took them by shock was the sheer number of Rockets running around. It was a small army of them!  
Brock was the first to speak. "I didn't think it would take this many of us..."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Blazer laughed, "For an operation this big the Boss wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong. You should have seen the Silph Co. operation a few years back; that was something else, let me tell you."  
  
Ash nodded. He had been one of the people who had broken up the Silph takeover...and almost failed. Hopefully, things here would run more smoothly.   
  
"Your partner?" he asked in a gruff voice, trying desperately to stay in character.  
  
"Yeah. There she is now." He flagged someone on the east side of the cavern down by waving. A young woman in a Team Rocket uniform went over to join them.  
  
"Hi Blazer. What's up?"  
  
"Oh no." Ash murmured. Misty gaped in shock. And Brock...  
  
Brock went into Joyshock.  
  
"Joy, I want you to meet Jessie, James and Meowth; they're the field agents the Boss sent to help us with the Big P project."  
  
Joy smirked and nodded. "We've heard a lot about you three." Then she looked at Ash funny. "Aren't you supposed to be a real Meowth?"  
  
"I get that a lot." Ash mumbled.  
  
Brock was still babbling to himself. Joy looked annoyed. "What's with him?"  
  
Ash and Misty grabbed Brock by the shoulders. "Excuse us for one second." Misty asked them. Together she and Ash dragged their paralyzed friend over to a corner where they wouldn't be heard.  
  
"Brock, get it together!" Ash shook him.  
  
"I can't believe it...a Nurse Joy in Team Rocket." Misty shook her head.  
  
"She didn't look like a nurse to me." Ash risked a glance over his shoulder. Blazer and Joy were whispering to each other and taking looks of their own at the three of them.  
  
"She looks beautiful." Brock said with glazed squints.  
  
Misty shoved Ash out of the way and began shaking their friend herself, only harder. "Now look Brock," she growled through gritted teeth, "If you blow our cover because of some stupid crush on an entire family, we're done for; Team Rocket isn't the type to forgive and forget, especially with people that they've been after for half a decade! And if they don't kill you, I WILL!"  
  
Brock shook his head regaining control of himself. "You're right. We're here to save Laura."  
  
Ash patted him on the shoulder. "Think you can control your Joyshock?"  
  
Brock heaved a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I'll keep it together." He stood up tall and marched back towards Blazer and Joy with Ash and Misty in tow. "So, what's first?" he asked in a haughty, arrogant manner.  
  
"Well, we thought you'd like to get settled in, but it doesn't look like you have any luggage," Blazer said, "Say, we hear you guys do a really mean team motto!"  
  
"Team motto?" They all asked in unison.  
  
"Yeah, you know." Joy said, pantomiming, "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light...?"  
  
"Oh, right, the motto." Ash said.  
  
They all stood there for a moment.  
  
"Well?" Blazer asked.  
  
Misty sighed. They had been prepared for this, but she had hoped that they could skip this part of the plan. "Right." She pulled a few smoke bombs out of her jacket. Ash and Brock did the same. Together, they threw the small spheres onto the ground.  
  
The area quickly filled with a blue haze, almost completely eliminating visibility. Only their silhouettes could be seen. "You're on." Brock whispered to Misty.  
  
She nodded and threw back her shoulders. "To protect the world from devastation!"  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" Brock hollered, jumping up on a boulder. Misty scrambled after him.  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" She tried mimicking the movements she had seen Jessie do a million times; it was harder than it looked! She managed to pull several muscles in her back, sending a twinge down her spine.  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" Brock pulled out a rose with an "Ow!"; he had pricked his finger on a thorn. Being Team Rocket was proving to be more difficult and humiliating than they had thought.  
  
"Jessie!"  
  
"James!"  
  
As the smoke cleared, they prepared for their finale. "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
"Ash." Misty hissed as softly as she could, "Get out here now!" She prayed that no one could hear them.  
  
"Fine," he hissed back. He muttered several choice words that she couldn't make out, then popped out with his dagger and said in a high-pitched voice, "Meowth, that's right!" His Meowth impression was beyond terrible; she didn't know whether to cry or burst out laughing.  
  
The entire cavern was silent for a split second, then it burst out in cheering. Misty got down from the boulder, wiping a thin sheen of nervous sweat from her forehead.  
  
Blazer applauded as things began to settle down. "Bravo." his raspy voice complimented, "Magnificent. Now, what say we get to work?"  
  
"Right." Joy agreed. She looked at Ash and Misty. "Why don't you take Jessie and Meowth and help herd some of those flying types coming in through the east tunnel, Blazer." She batted her eyes at Brock. "I'll take James here and head over to the northwest tunnel. There are some fire types coming in an hour."   
  
As Blazer led them away, Misty took one last look at Brock as Joy led him away. She was chattering away with the Rock Master, holding his hand. Brock's other hand was curled in a fist, and shaking pretty badly. Misty shook her head sadly; flirting with a Joy was going to be an immense strain on Brock's control. She hoped he could handle it.  
* * *  
  
"Knight to A5, take Black's Queen." Dexter said. "Checkmate, I win again!"  
  
Pikachu looked at the digital chessboard on Dexter's screen with a sour look.  
  
"Ah, cheer up Mighty Mouse," Dexter said, "Most rats can't even play chess, much less beat a master like myself." The Pokédex then displayed his victory dance on the screen. "That makes fifteen games in a row!"  
  
Pikachu lit up the small tunnel with electricity as he gave Dexter a well-deserved shock. "Pika-pi-cha!  
  
Dexter buzzed for a second, then regained electrical equilibrium. "Hey, no need to be a sore loser! Tell him, Togepi."  
  
Togepi was much more interested in what was down the dark tunnel, which meant that Pikachu had to keep an eye on him constantly. The electric mouse herded Togepi back towards Dexter in an attempt to keep them all together. Between his egglike friend and Ash's obnoxious Pokédex, Pikachu's nerves were beginning to run thin. He would have tried to turn Dexter off or, failing that, short him out, but without Dexter Ash's rescue signal would never reach them. And if they didn't get the signal, Dexter couldn't relay it to Officer Jenny of the Pewter City Police, who was waiting with a full containment squad.  
  
"So Pikachu, you want to try your claw at Checkers?" the Pokédex asked hopefully.  
  
Pikachu sighed, and prayed that Ash would send the signal soon.  
* * *  
  
The chamber was packed full of Bird Pokémon, all squawking and flapping around. Pidgeys, Spearows, a Farfetch'd here and there...you name it, it was there. Ash turned to Blazer. "So what, we just lead them into cages?"  
  
Blazer guffawed. "Very funny." He pulled a Pokéball from his jacket and activated it. "Charmeleon, I choose you!" he tossed the ball.  
  
Out popped a large lizard with a burning tail. Ash knew the Pokémon well; he had owned a Charmeleon himself before it evolved. "Come on, call you your Pokémon...we need to drain a few hit-points out of these guys before we can get them into Pokéballs." He pointed up at the ceiling of the cave. "Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" His reptilian comrade complied, throwing columns of flame up high above.  
  
Ash and Misty shared a glance, then called out their own; Ash chose Pidgeot, while Misty took her Starmie. Ash could have used a Fire type like Blazer, but Charizard was barely controllable as it was...make it do something as awful as this and it would go berserk.  
  
"Pidgeot, Quick Attack as many of them as you can!" Ash shouted. The bird gave him a curious stare, then looked up at the targets. Then it frowned at Ash. "You heard me!" he shouted. He was feeling worse by the minute. Pidgeot gave him one last glare and then took off with a roar of wind.  
  
Misty was having similar problems with Starmie. The Water Star's jewel turned a flaming red, expressing its anger. "Don't look at me like that, just go!" Misty hollered and pointed. It wavered, but obeyed.  
  
Blazer was laughing, watching all of the birds drop from the air into the waiting arms of other Rockets. The other teams began transferring the fallen Pokémon to Pokéballs. "Aint' this fun, guys?" he asked them.  
  
"Yeah, fun." Ash murmured. He was trying his best to blink back tears of anger and sadness. He looked over at Misty, who was even more upset than he was. "Lots of fun." he said again.  
  
"And after this, we got a group of Ground types coming through." He grinned. "Team Rocket'll really blast off this time."  
  
"Go team." Misty whispered hoarsely.  
* * *  
  
"So, James, are you and Jessie...?" Joy asked coyly.  
  
"Huh? Oh, no, we're, uh, just partners." Brock tried not to focus on the squeals of agony from all of the Ponyta, Rapidash and the other Fire types Onix was herding rather roughly through the tunnel.  
  
Joy smiled. "Ah, I see. She and Meowth make a cute couple."  
  
Despite himself, Brock chuckled. "Yeah, they do. Only problem is, neither of them realizes it, but they both feel it. It drives them nuts." Then he laughed. "It drives me nuts too."  
  
Joy laughed with him. "I can imagine. That Jessie sounds like she has a real killer set of pipes in her...and that Meowth doesn't look like the type to get along with easy."  
  
"They're a real handful all right."  
  
Joy became serious. "Doesn't it bother you that you're always beaten by a bunch of teenagers though?"  
  
Brock was caught off guard by this one. "Uh, not at all."  
  
"But it must be humiliating...not to mention the Boss's lack of faith in you three."  
  
Brock was sweating now. "Well, you know, uh...those kids are a lot tougher than they look." he came up with at last. "I mean, they're a real group of trainers. Especially that older one!" He saw Joy giving him an odd look. "But, uh...We'll get those brats someday!" He clenched his fist, figuring that it was a James-like gesture.  
  
Joy smiled softly. "I believe you." She turned her attention back to her Machoke, who was Karate Chopping a group of Charmanders. "I don't suppose you'd like to head down to the Recreation Tent once we're through here? We have a soda bar set up, along with a couple of arcade games."  
  
"I'd like that." Brock suddenly remembered just why they had come here. "Uh, I don't suppose you know where they're keeping those, uh, fools from the Big P ranch, do you?"  
  
Joy frowned, confused. "They're in the holding chamber in the northern tunnel. Why?"  
  
"I was kind of hoping we could see them. Uh, along with Jessie and Meowth, of course."  
  
She nodded. "Sure, I can take you there once we're finished here."  
* * *  
  
"What a dump," Ash thought.  
  
The holding chamber was little more than a damp, dirty little hole carved into the side of the main part of the northern chamber. It was barely big enough for all one hundred of the Big P ranchers. Blazer had opted to head for the Rec Tent without them, which left Ash, Misty and Brock with Joy. The ranchers gave them hard, cold stares as they passed them. Finally, Joy managed to spot Laura among them. "That's the one you wanted to see?" Joy asked.  
  
Brock nodded and started to step forward, but Ash beat him to the draw; his young friend shot forward and swaggered up to the famous Breeder.  
  
"So this is the famous Laura Laramie?" Ash scoffed, trying to keep in character. "I expected you to be more."  
  
Laura looked at him funny for a second. Then her eyes went wide. "Ash? What-"  
  
Ash clapped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet! If I wanted you to say something, I would have told you what to say." he snarled. Their eyes met briefly. "Now, don't speak." He slowly lifted his hand off of her mouth; she kept quiet.  
  
"It must be just awful being kept from your work like this." Misty said sarcastically. What she was really asking was, *How well are you holding up?*  
  
Laura nodded slowly, catching on. "It's been pretty rough...I hope me and my people haven't been poor guests." Her southern drawl took on a sarcastic quality.  
  
"Don't worry...soon, it'll all be over." Brock said as menacingly as he could. *We'll get you out as soon as we can.*  
  
Again, Laura nodded. "I'd like to see you get away with it." she said. *Good luck, Pard'ners.*  
* * *  
  
"Here it is; the only source of entertainment within twenty miles." Joy swept a hand over the meager Recreation Tent. It was noisy, smoky, and it had an unpleasant odor about it.  
  
"Looks great." Brock said.  
  
Misty had been almost totally quiet ever since they had left the holding chamber. "Excuse me a minute...I need to fix my makeup." she said softly, disappearing behind a natural rock formation in the cave. Ash started after her, then stopped, uncertain.  
  
Brock nudged him. "Go after her." he whispered softly.  
  
"Why me?" Ash whispered back.  
  
"Because I have a live one right here," Brock uttered, tilting his head back at Joy. "Besides, I'm not the one still in love with her."  
  
"Still in love with her?" he hissed, "Are you crazy? Don't you remember, I was the one that broke it off!"  
  
"Whatever." Brock offered his arm to Joy, who took it gladly. They started off together. Ash hung back as Joy and Brock entered the Rec Tent. At the moment, he had a pounding headache and a guilty conscience. The only thing he hated more than Team Rocket was what they did; abuse Pokémon for their own uses. Taking part in it all made him sick to his stomach. He looked around for Misty, but couldn't spot her. Then he heard soft sniffling coming from behind a rather large boulder.  
  
He found Misty sitting behind the boulder with her knees drawn up to her chest. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.  
  
She wiped her eyes hastily and scowled. "I'm fine." Her gaze dropped to the floor. "Just fine."  
  
He sat down next to her. "Okay. Just wondering." Experience had taught him that pressuring Misty to tell him something she didn't want to talk about got him a cold shoulder and a lump on the head. If she wanted to talk about something, she would do it when she was good and-  
  
"This whole thing is getting to me, Ash."  
  
Bingo.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked. She had started crying softly again.  
  
"I mean this!" she pointed at her Rocket uniform. "This whole stupid idea. Hurting those poor Pokémon. I don't know how much longer I can take it. I'm afraid that they'll find out who we really are if I say the wrong thing, or don't know something, or do something wrong." She looked at him. "Aren't you afraid?"  
  
"Me? Ha! I'm not afraid of anything." he said confidently. Her steely stare quickly put a stop to his egotism. "Of course I'm afraid!" He took her hand. "We just have to tough it out now...It's almost over."  
  
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Thanks Ash." Then she cleared her throat. "Don't you think it's time to signal for the cavalry?"  
  
He drew out a small transmitter from his jacket. "You read my mind." He thumbed the button. "Come on, let's grab 'James' and head for the south entrance. The Pewter City Police will be here in an hour, and they might need help."  
* * *  
  
Dexter's circuits were all but fried after a one-on-one Pong tournament with Pikachu. "I wish you wouldn't be such a bad sport Danger Mouse," Dexter said, "I don't know if my circuits can take much more..."  
  
Suddenly, its indicator light flashed on his display panel. "Whoops, that's the signal!" it cried. The Pokédex's communication equipment instantly relayed the message to the Pewter City Police. "Time to go, Thunderboy."  
  
Pikachu picked Dexter up and called after Togepi. The egg Pokémon followed after it, a change from its usual free-spirited attitude. "Priiiii!" it chirped. Together they moved on towards Ash's position; it was about time for a well-timed rescue.  
* * *  
  
"What are you guys doing?" Blazer laughed.  
  
Brock scratched the back of his neck and looked around; he, Misty and Ash had been standing at the south tunnel entrance, waiting for someone or something in the form of help to come along. "Oh, just...admiring the scenery."  
  
Both Blazer and Joy turned around to stare at the ugly brown wall behind them. "You're kidding, right?" Joy asked them.  
  
Blazer gave them a critical eye. "You two have been acting awfully strange all of a sudden." he drawled.  
  
Before any of them could respond, the lighting flashed and a loud siren began blaring. Ash, Misty and Brock looked around, totally clueless. Joy and Blazer looked panicked. "What's going on?" Joy shouted above the din.  
  
"It's the alarm. The cops must've found us out!" Blazer shouted back.  
  
"Yes!" Ash cried, then covered his hand with his mouth.  
  
"What?" Joy's eyes were wide.  
  
Blazer's face became red. "So that's it! You three are spies!" He tore a Pokéball off of his belt.  
  
The three backed up towards the wall behind them. "Nice going, Ash." Misty punched him in the arm. "Just when I thought we were going to make it out of this without dying, too."  
  
"Sorry." he muttered.  
  
Joy stared helplessly at Brock. "You're a spy?" she said in disbelief. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She ran down the hall as fast as she could. Blazer was still there, fuming.  
  
Brock's head swiveled between Joy's receding form and Blazer's puffing red face. He was torn between helping his friends and chasing after the girl he loved...well, the girl he had a shot with, anyway.  
  
"Don't just stand there you blockhead, go after her!" Misty shouted at him.  
  
Ash nodded his agreement. "We'll take care of Blazer boy over there." He smiled.  
  
Brock frowned, puzzled. Ash and Misty had not once taken his infatuation with Nurse(s) Joy seriously. He grinned at them, then took off running.  
  
Ash and Misty turned their attention to Blazer. "Let's do this!" the Rocket shouted. He threw his Pokéball. It spit out a fearsome-looking Magmar.  
Ash backed up against the wall hesitantly. Magmars had a horrible habit of being too strong for even water types. He was about to try Wartortle when he heard a thumping overhead. "What the?"  
  
"Is that the Police?" Misty asked, her voice filled with hope.  
He ceiling of the cave above Blazer and his Magmar collapsed. Ash coughed, waving his hand through the dust.  
  
"I told you not to take that left turn, but would you listen? Nooooo, you always have to be in charge, Mr. 'Look at me, I have legs'." Dexter's synthetic voice pierced the haze. Pikachu shouted angrily at the red box with its limited choice of words, shaking it with fury. Togepi simply sat on Blazer's head, cooing pleasantly.  
* * *  
  
"Joy!" Brock shouted. She was keeping the distance between them; man, was she fast! "Joy, wait!" She disappeared around a corner.  
  
When he rounded the bend, Joy's Machoke was there, waiting for him. He caught Brock with a punch to the stomach. He doubled over, desperately trying to suck air back into his lungs.  
  
"Get away from me!" she shouted.  
  
"Joy, wait..." he croaked.  
  
"Why?" she squeaked, "What have I got left? Even if the police don't catch me, I'll be humiliated within the organization." She shoved him into a tunnel wall. "You lied to me! I finally meet a guy I like, and he's Johnny Law!"  
  
"L-like?" he wheezed.  
  
Despite herself, she smiled. "Yeah, liked..." She became enraged again. "Before he turned on me! Now my life is over!" She whirled around and ordered,   
"Machoke! Submission!"  
  
Machoke was advancing rapidly; Brock didn't have a lot of time...but he didn't have a lot of ideas, either. He reacted purely from heart. "I love you."  
  
"Machoke, stop!" She looked him in the eye. "Why should I believe you?"  
  
"Because it's true."  
  
She wavered for just a second. She started to speak, but was interrupted when Ash and Misty called out Brock's name. Brock turned to see his friends dragging the unconscious form of Blazer down the corridor, trying to reach him in time. He turned back to face Joy, but she was already gone; disappeared. He dragged himself up onto his feet, coughing.  
  
"You okay, Brock?" Ash asked. He dumped Blazer on the floor.  
  
"What happened?" Misty asked. Concern filled her eyes as she helped Brock to stand.  
  
He looked down the corridor, hoping to spot Joy. "No, everything's fine..." He couldn't see a trace of her. "Just fine."  
* * *  
  
"A big thanks to you three for helping to rescue the Big P ranch." Officer Jenny congratulated the young trainers.  
  
"Hey, what about the cavalry? Don't we get some of the credit?" Dexter protested. Ash promptly turned the Pokédex off.  
  
Jenny continued. "Unfortunately, I received word that Jessie, James and Meowth escaped from prison on New Soho Island." Ash, Misty and Brock groaned; it was a sure bet that they would be seeing them very, very soon.  
  
Laura snagged them into a group hug that nearly snapped their vertebrate. "Mah heroes! You need anything, me and the boys'll be there for you!"  
  
Ash smiled. "Uh, no problem. Though it'll be tough getting a flight out of here."  
  
"No trouble at all." Jenny assured them, "We have a Police helicopter waiting to fly you out of here at the airfield." She grinned. "It's our way of saying 'thank you' for all your hard work."  
  
They all began walking to the jeep. Brock saw something out of the corner of his eye, in the shadows. He checked over his shoulder; nothing was there.  
  
"What is it, Brock?" Misty asked him, cradling up to Togepi.  
  
He blinked. "It's...nothing." He continued on, taking one last glance. The group climbed into the jeep and drove off, kicking up a cloud of dust.  
  
As soon as they were out of sight, Joy stepped out of the shadows. Her mouth hung sadly at the corners.  
  
End  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #4  
Fire and Ice  



	4. Fire and Ice

=Author's Note=  
We've seen Ash's mom, and we've seen Brock's dad. But there's always been one question lingering in the back of every Pokéfan's mind (where they easily ignore it); Where in God's name are Misty's parents? Instead of just dismissing the question, or taking the morbid angle and claiming that they're dead, I chose to write this story. Questions and comments are welcome.  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not owned by me. Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.  
  
BadgeQuest #4  
Fire and Ice  
  
Royalta; a beautiful mixture of sandy, sunny beaches and damp green rain forests. This was truly one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It wasn't too hot, it didn't rain too much (as far as rain forests are concerned), and the people were friendly...most of the time.  
  
Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu sprinted, zigzagging through the dense forest. Occasionally, a gunshot would graze a tree close by, sending them veering off desperately. Behind them, an angry mob rallied to capture or kill them. The shouting and crack of the guns could be heard for miles.  
  
"Ash, you moron!" Misty shouted, "Look at what you've got us into now!"  
  
"It was an accident!" he insisted, ducking. Pikachu dashed ahead of them using its Agility attack. At least the electrical mouse would escape harm...  
  
"You couldn't have had milk, or even water?" Brock huffed as he sprinted. He felt a sharp pain starting to develop in his side; all of the flying they had been doing had taken its toll on his stamina, making him a little soft.  
  
"Look, I hadn't had a Caterpie Cola in a long time..." he tried to explain, "How was I supposed to know burping in the presence of the Emperor would be considered a treasonous insult?"  
  
"It was a real good belch too!" Dexter said from Ash's pocket, "I could feel that one all the way through my circuit breakers!"  
  
"Less talking, more running!" Brock said.  
  
"I have a better idea." Ash pulled a Pokéball off of his belt and tossed it out. The ball spit forth a large mass of energy that soon formed Pidgeot, the trainer's Bird Pokémon. "Pidgeot, get ready to fly!"  
  
Brock began calling out his Onix, intending to hitch a ride as well. Misty looked desperate. "That's fine for you guys, but what about me?" she wailed.  
  
"This 'is' for you." Ash said sharply. Misty gaped, confused. "Pidgeot, take Misty back to the boat, fast!" His bird hopped over to Misty and helped her onto its back. Ash picked up Pikachu and placed it on Pidgeot's back as well. "You too, Pikachu."  
  
"What about you?" her voice betrayed the worry she felt.  
  
"I'll think of something." he assured her. He looked to Pidgeot. "Better get going." The bird took off with a rush of wind. Brock, atop Onix, cut through the thick jungle like a hot knife through butter, waving at him to hurry.  
  
Misty and Pikachu called frantically to Ash as Pidgeot flew them towards their freedom. "Don't worry, I'll be fine!" he shouted. He just wished it were true. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as his friends made it to safety. Relief quickly turned to dread as he saw the mob closing in on him. "Oh, man, this is suicide." He pulled another Pokéball off of his belt and tossed it out. The ball produced his Charizard. "Okay Charizard, it's time to go."  
  
The flame lizard opened one eye lazily and gave him a glare that could melt titanium. "Oh come on!" Ash pleaded, "We could be killed!" Charizard responded by giving him a short puff of its Flamethrower.  
  
Now the mob had encircled Ketchum and his Pokémon. One of the attackers was hasty and fired a quick potshot. It bounced off of Charizard's leathery skin, leaving a large red welt. Now both its eyes were open; the Pokémon stood, roaring in fury. It blasted a circle of flame around itself and Ash, driving the mob back. The panicked crowd fled in terror.  
  
Ash recalled Charizard with a sigh and continued his dead run for the boat. He reached the shoreline, only to see that the vessel had pulled out of dock without him. Misty, Brock and Pikachu were on board, yelling and waving their arms desperately. He threw a look back over his shoulder and yelped; the mob had regained its courage and was coming back for a second try.  
  
Luckily, Pidgeot was still in the air; it swooped down and grabbed him roughly with its claws, then kicked up a hurricane of sand as it left the ground. Ash cried out in pain as his avian friend's sharp talons dug into his shoulders. Still, considering the size of the mob beneath him, he wasn't about to complain. Pidgeot flew awkwardly out to the private yacht and dumped him unceremoniously onto the deck.  
  
Ash got up onto his hands and knees, gasping and coughing desperately. Brock rushed over and helped the poor teen up to his feet. "Ash, are you okay?"  
  
"Still breathing." he grinned, shaking it off. He stood up, then frowned. He frantically searched all of his pockets, finally finding it. "And I have the Regalbadge!" he thrust the tiny crown-shaped pin into the air before returning it to his pocket. Pikachu chirped, mimicking his ecstasy.  
  
"Yes," Misty said sarcastically, "It doesn't matter that we escaped death by a hair, or that by some miracle you weren't riddled with bullets. The badge is the really important thing here." Brock and Pikachu couldn't help but snicker. Even Togepi seemed to laugh.  
  
"I would have made it just fine," Ash grumbled, pulling a Pokéball off of his belt, "If Charizard had obeyed and flown me to the boat."  
  
"You actually thought Charizard would obey?" Brock said in disbelief. "You can barely get it to battle, what makes you think it'll let you ride him?"  
  
"I didn't exactly have a lot of options...especially since someone needed my Flying type to haul herself out of danger!" he made a face at Misty.  
  
"I didn't ask for your help, Mr. Gastrointestinal Eruption!"  
  
Brock sighed as his friends got into another one of their arguments. "Not this again."  
* * *  
  
"Not this again!"  
  
Ash's mom gave her son a stern look through the Pokémon Center's videophone screen. "You know I worry about you, Ash. Just make sure you put on a clean pair of-"  
  
"Mom!" he wailed.  
  
"And make sure you stay away from Team Rocket! I don't want you tangling with dangerous criminals anymore."  
  
Ash struggled to keep his cool. Brock, in the meantime, couldn't help but smile as he watched the scene from over Ash's shoulder. "You should listen to your parent, Ash." he said half-mockingly, "She knows what's best for y-"  
  
"Brock!" came a deep voice from the vidphone. Brock stopped in mid-sentence, already worried.  
  
Brock's father, Flint, stepped into the picture on the screen. "Brock, is that you?"  
  
"Uh, dad, hi!" Brock said, giving a little wave. "What are you doing at Ash's house?"  
  
"Mrs. Ketchum invited me over for tea." Flint explained, glaring at Brock through a pair of squints identical to Brock's. "That isn't important; why haven't you registered for college classes yet? You've been out of High School for almost a year now, young man! I expect to see some grades coming in soon, or-"  
  
"Uh, sorry guys, I think we're losing the connection..." Ash said. He started making static noises into the microphone. Brock joined in, helping with the illusion.  
  
"Uh, boys?" Ash's mom raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms. "It's a videophone..."  
  
The two trainers froze, horrified and humiliated. "Uh, gotta go!" Ash said, slapping the signal cutoff button. The screen blacked out, giving the trainers a reprieve.  
  
Dexter decided to interject; "Boy, I can't believe you forgot it was a video phone ." he laughed. Ash thumbed the power button on him and returned the device to his pocket.  
  
Misty was almost rolling out of her seat in laughter. "Boy, you two are a riot!" she giggled.  
  
Brock and Ash frowned. "You know, it isn't so easy dealing with parents, Misty." Brock tried to defend them.  
  
"Oh please. I get along with my parents fine." Misty bragged, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.  
  
"You?" Ash said incredulously, "I've never even seen your parents..."  
  
"We may not talk as much anymore, but we get along like peanut butter and jelly." Misty said, "You two could learn a thing or two from me-"  
  
"Mys-terious!" someone from across the Pokémon center called out.  
  
Misty's face grew pale. "Oh, no." she squeaked.  
  
Ash, Brock and Pikachu turned to see what was causing all the noise; a tall, willowy man in a business suit was running across the terminal, waving his hands in the air and grinning. He had close cropped brown hair that was starting to recede towards the back of his head, and a pair of small spectacles on the end of his nose. Behind him a stout, rotund, redheaded woman wearing a ridiculous dress and a large sunbonnet huffed to keep up. She was carrying a lazy, overweight Persian.  
  
Misty looked around desperately trying to find a way out. Seeing none, she did the only thing she could do; she snatched the hat off of Ash head and slapped it on her own cranium.  
  
"Hey!" Ash started to protest, but Misty slapped her hand over his mouth. She looked at him and Brock. "Just play along, please!" she begged.  
  
The man and Persian-laden woman reached their spot at the phone terminal. "Oh, Mysterious, it's so good to see you!" the woman sang.  
  
"Mysterious." Ash and Brock giggled; they had never heard Misty's full name before.  
  
Misty ignored them, rubbing the back of her neck. "Mom, Dad, hi..." she said with a plastered smile, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, we were on another vacation, and we thought we'd pop into the Pokémon Center." Misty's dad said in a high-pitched, nasal voice.  
  
"Yes, Percy was looking a bit sickly." Misty's mom held up the Persian. Ash figured the only thing it needed was a few hundred laps around a track and a major diet. Pikachu snickered at the lethargic feline from its perch on Ash's shoulder.  
  
"But what in the world are you doing here, Mysterious?" her dad asked. "I thought you were still on the Island." He looked at the two boys and the Pikachu that comprised her escort. "And what are these scruffy-looking individuals doing with you? They aren't trainers, are they?"  
  
"Scruffy?" Ash cried indignantly, "Who are you calling 'scruffy?' Why you-" Misty shoved Ash out of the way before he could get anything insulting out.   
  
"No, they aren't trainers!" she said quickly.  
  
"Good." her father said.  
  
"Because we hate trainers." her mother agreed, stroking her Persian. "It's bad enough that you and your sisters do it, Mysterious, you don't need to be around those people all the time." She gave Ash and Brock the appraising eye. "So who are they?"  
  
Misty tried to scratch her head, but Ash's hat got in the way. "Uh, why..." she pointed to Brock. "This is...Bill!"  
  
"Bill?" Brock said.  
  
"He wants to be an accountant." Misty added.  
  
"Oh, how lovely!" Misty's mom squealed. She ran up and grabbed Brock by the shoulders. "You have that intelligent look about you, Bill!" She looked up. "Though your hair is atrocious. I know this one woman in Saffron City that would do wonders for your roots."  
  
"What about the kid with the Pikachu, Mysterious?" her father asked.  
  
"He's...uh...he's...Gary!" she finally shouted.  
  
"Gary!!!" Ash roared in surprise.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Gary." Misty's dad shook his hand while Ash stood there, fuming. "That Pikachu, is it your pet?"  
  
Before Ash could respond, Misty jumped in. "Yeah, his pet Pikachu. Just something I caught for him."   
  
"How nice!" Her father said. He frowned. "Looks a bit filthy, though. Don't you ever bathe it?"  
  
Suddenly, the Center's call tone interrupted the discussion of Pokémon hygiene. "Oh, listen, Bill." Ash said through gritted teeth, "Misty's Pokémon are ready for pickup...why don't we go and get them?"  
  
"Good idea, Gary." Brock drawled. They each grabbed one of Misty's arms and dragged her off. Pikachu was right on her trailing heels, also wanting an explanation.  
  
"Be right back!" Misty called out to her parents as her friends pulled her roughly over to the pickup counter.  
  
"Okay, Mysterious, what's the deal?" Ash demanded.  
  
"My name's MISTY!" she shouted in his face, "And if you two weren't Pokémon trainers we would be in this mess right now!"  
  
"Well, excuse us for following our dreams." Brock said dryly. "Now back up a bit and start over."  
  
She heaved a sigh and tried again. "My parents don't approve of Pokémon training. They think Pokémon shouldn't battle, that is isn't proper. That's why they left my sisters in charge of the family gym..."  
  
"So? You think they would have accepted it by now." Ash said, collecting his Pokémon from the nurse at the counter. Pikachu scampered up on his shoulder, clutching at his now-hatless head. "Ow, Pikachu! Watch the hair!"  
  
"They always hoped I'd be different..." Misty said sadly, "I was supposed to be the different sister...that's why they didn't name me after a flower, like my sisters. I guess they were really disappointed when I chose to live at the gym instead of with them. They never got over it."  
  
"But why do we have to...well, play the roles of 'Bill' and 'Gary'?"  
  
"They would have gone nuts if they knew I was on another Journey, especially with other trainers. We have to keep the façade going, at least until they leave."  
  
"Excuse me." a voice with a strong accent interrupted from directly behind Ash. The young trainer jumped three feet into the air with surprise.  
  
"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to sneak up on people?" Ash yelled.  
  
"My apologies, sir, but are you not the great Ash Ketchum?"  
  
Misty snorted. "He's Ash Ketchum. The great part I wouldn't bet on."  
  
Ash gave Misty a hard look. "Parents, remember?" For once, she shut up. He turned back to the stranger. "Okay, we know who I am. Who are you?"  
  
"I am Rico, and I have come very far to enlist the aid of you." His skin was a dark tan, even darker than Brock's. He wore a large, filthy hat on his head. In fact, little about him seemed to be bathed. He had a bushy moustache and long black hair to match. "My village, the people of Machu Pachu, has heard of your attempts to foil Team Rocket, as well as your selflessness in helping others." His voice became pleading. "You must save our village, you are the only one who can."  
  
Ash grinned, blowing on his knuckles. "Well, I guess I probably am." He stopped to think about it for a moment. "Uh, what exactly is wrong with your village?"  
  
"El Frio Diablo," Rico whispered as if the mere words would strike him down. He shivered, looking down at his feet.  
  
"Ell Frito Diobo?" Ash tried to repeat.  
  
"No, El Frio Diablo. The 'Freezing Devil'. Please, you must help my people!" He got down on his knees, pleading. "Please, Mister Ketchum!"  
  
"Okay, okay, calm down..." Ash said quickly, "I'll help, I'll help." He felt Misty kick him in the back of the leg.  
  
"Ash," she hissed, "What about my parents?"  
  
Rico held up a trio of plane tickets. "I have here your tickets to our village. I will escort you to the island myself, if that is all right."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, fine, just give us a moment." He turned and brought Brock and Misty into a huddle. Pikachu scampered into the middle, also wanting to be a part of the conversation. "Okay, what do you think?"  
  
"Ash, we still have to get rid of my parents." Misty wailed softly.  
  
"Actually, Misty, this could be the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone," Brock interjected thoughtfully, "Now we have an excuse to leave."  
  
"I don't know..." Misty drawled.  
  
"Mysterious!" her mother called, walking towards the group. "Come, we have so much catching up to do!"  
  
"Let's go." Misty intoned flatly. They broke the huddle. "Oh, mother, I'd love to, I really would, but you see-"  
  
"We're off to Machu Pachu for some sightseeing." Brock finished, smiling broadly.  
  
Ash nodded, picking up Pikachu. "Sorry we couldn't stay longer, but we're in a hurry."  
  
Misty's father, trailing behind his wife, brightened at the mention of the island. "Oh, Machu Pachu! I've heard of that lovely little island, it's supposed to be beautiful." He smiled at his wife. "Think we could make a little detour from our plans, honey?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure we could squeeze in a day or two...maybe even a whole week!" She agreed enthusiastically. "It'll be fun spending time with the kids!"  
  
"Oh, uh, we wouldn't want you to change your plans for us!" Ash said desperately.  
  
"Nonsense, we insist." Misty's mother patted Ash on the head. She got behind the three teenagers and began herding them towards the door, the lazy Persian not slowing her down a bit.  
  
"Misty," her father said, "That League hat is atrocious! And it's so filthy. Don't tell me you let your friends wear it, too."  
  
Misty grumbled; it was going to be a long trip.  
* * *  
  
"Everyone all strapped in for takeoff?" Misty's mother asked lightly.  
  
"Yes," they all groaned.  
  
"Say, Mysterious, I've been meaning to ask," her father began, "Machu Pachu is just a mining village with some beautiful scenery...doesn't seem like the kind of place teenagers would go on their vacation."  
  
"Oh, uh, I heard that the bay looks beautiful at sunrise," she lied, "And I was just dying to see it."  
  
"And your friends?" He gave Ash another appraising eye.  
  
She smiled nervously, "Oh, they're just a couple of guys I know. We, uh, met back at the gym."  
  
"Well, they certainly seem better than those other boys we heard you were following around," her mother lectured, "From what Lily told us, they were nothing but a pair of scruffy, dirty trainers."  
  
"Whatever happened to the one that you liked, Mysterious?" her father asked. "You know, the one trying to be League Champion?"  
  
Ash shot Misty a quick glance, and maybe just a little smirk. "Oh, he's still around." Ash said offhandedly. Misty gritted her teeth.  
  
"Just one other thing..." her mother finished. She pointed to Rico, who was sitting next to her. "Who is this gentleman accompanying us?"  
  
"Good morning, ma'am." Rico greeted her politely.  
  
Misty moaned and slid down in her seat as the plane's engines revved for takeoff.  
* * *  
  
"What a horrid little dump." Misty's mother sneered as they exited the plane.  
  
For once, Ash agreed with her; the town looked to be half-destroyed. There was dirt, dust and debris littering the ground like topsoil. He coughed and tried to cover his mouth, but the dust was everywhere. Pikachu coughed too, nearly falling off of Ash's shoulder. In the distance beyond the town, they could see the island's volcano. Rico had told them that it had been dormant for a long time. At least it was one less thing to worry about.  
  
"Maybe we should get back on the plane..." Brock said only half-jokingly. He looked around, taking in the vista. Off in the distance he could see the majority of the town's buildings and businesses...what was left of them, anyway. "You sure you want to come here, A-I mean, Gary?"  
  
Ash's fist clenched. Whatever this El Frio Diablo was, it was going to pay for all of this. "We're staying." He shot Misty a glance. "That is, as long as it's okay with the Trainer over there."  
  
Misty stuck her hands in her pockets, looking down apologetically. "Yeah," she nodded.  
  
"Well, let's make the most of it." Misty's father said, grabbing their luggage. With Mrs. Waterflower's bundles, it made for quite a load.  
  
"I'll be with you in a second." Ash said hastily. He grabbed Rico and Brock by the sleeves and dragged them off to the side while Misty led her parents towards Machu Pachu's meager airport terminal. "Okay Rico, what now?"  
  
"Well Mr. Ketchum, I suppose we wait for the monster to attack us." Rico said nervously. A crashing noise caught the trio's attention; looking off to the east, they saw dust and parts of buildings flying up into the air. Pikachu pointed and hollered 'Pika-ka-cha!' excitedly.  
  
"I'm guessing that's him," Brock said dryly. He, Ash and Pikachu took off at a dead sprint in the direction of the attack, with Rico huffing and shouting behind them.  
* * *  
  
Over by the soda machines, Misty's mother raised her large, tacky sunglasses and peered at the three men running across the field. "Where do you suppose they're going?" She squinted, seeing Ash and Brock pull something off of their respective belts. "And what's that they're holding?"  
  
Misty looked, horror-stricken; if her mom saw them call out their Pokémon, her secret would be blown and there would be a lot of yelling, disapproval and unnecessary argument. She slammed a fist into the soda machine as hard as she could, causing it to shudder and spit out a can of Caterpie Cola. "Look mom, you're soda! Better drink it before it's cold."  
  
"Oh, my, you're right." She bent down to pick up the soda just as Ash and Brock called out their Pokémon. Ash jumped onto Pidgeot, while Brock mounted his Onix. Misty turned, remembering her father. She prayed he hadn't seen anything.  
  
Her father was over at the machine next to her, scratching his head. "The darn thing won't take a traveler's check." he said, holding up the small piece of paper. He tried feeding it in again, oblivious as Ash and Brock roared out of sight. Misty wiped her brow and checked on Togepi, taking a nap in her backpack. At least one of them was getting some well-deserved rest. She couldn't take much more of this.  
* * *  
  
Brock squinted through the haze of destruction as they neared the battle scene. "I can't make anything out." He hollered to Rico, sitting further down on Onix. "What does this 'El Frio Diablo' look like anyway?"  
  
"That." the local pointed with terror dripping from his voice.  
  
Ash gaped in awe, flying low and close to Onix on Pidgeot. It had been a while since he had seen one of those; a huge, screaming bird flew over the town. It seemed to glow with a bright blue aura. A trail of sparkling crystals created a rainbow effect as it flew high above their heads. Every time it opened its beak, a beam of bright blue energy spewed forth, freezing whatever it touched.  
  
"Articuno." he whispered in awe. He pulled Dexter from his pocket and activated the small device. "Give me a stats reading on him, Dexter."  
  
The red palm-top computer beeped and displayed a strengths graph. "Ash...or is it Gary now?" Ash glowered at the wisecracking machine. "Whoever you are, you're in big trouble. This little birdie is strong."  
  
"I can see that!" Articuno swooped towards one of the half-frozen buildings, now brittle from the cold. The Legendary Bird easily smashed through it, spraying ice and bricks everywhere. "Brock," he shouted, "Circle around, we'll out-flank him!" His friend nodded, taking Onix down one of the streets. Ash signaled Pidgeot to peel off and land on one of the undamaged buildings.  
  
Once he had set down, he looked at Pikachu. "What do you think, Pikachu? You up for this one?" The electric mouse backed up, looking at Ash like he had just gone insane.  
  
"Pika! Ka-cha-pikachu!"  
  
Ash looked disappointed, but nodded. "I guess I understand." he said. He pulled a Pokéball off of his belt and expanded it. "All right. Let's give it another go," he threw the ball as hard as he could at Articuno, "Charizard!"  
  
The ball split in mid-flight and released Charizard. Thankfully, the large lizard wasn't asleep, or he would have plummeted to the streets below. It still wasn't pleased with being disturbed, however, and roared its frustration at Ash.  
  
"Charizard, get it together!" Ash hollered. He saw Brock start his attack with a Rock Throw. Onix had picked up one of the larger debris and hurled it at the Legendary Bird. The more nimble avian Pokémon easily dodged the shot, spraying a blast of ice at Onix. "Onix needs you, Charizard!" he hollered, "So get your flaming butt in gear!"  
  
Charizard swooped down, blasting a wall of blazing fire at Ash, Pikachu and Pidgeot. The three unfortunate objects of Charizard's rage danced about, trying to avoid the hot attacks. "Jeez, this is getting monotonous!" Ash wailed to himself. He brought Charizard's ball out and activated the return mechanism. The familiar red beam shot out, returning the fire lizard to a state of pure energy, then drew it back into the ball once more. Ash looked at Pikachu and Pidgeot. "It looks like it's up to us, guys."  
* * *  
  
"Onix, no!" Brock shouted.  
  
Onix, the pride and joy of his team, lay on the street writhing in pain. The lower half of its rocky exterior was frozen, so cold it had turned the poor Rock Pokémon blue. Articuno flapped low nearby, intending on finishing the rock snake while it was down. "Hang on, Onix!" Brock put one hand on his belt, intending to call out Vulpix. The tiny fire fox would be no match for Articuno, not by a long shot. It didn't matter, though, as long as it saved Onix's life.  
  
As he expanded Vulpix's ball, a bolt of electricity struck down from the heavens and speared Articuno. The ice bird screeched in pain; Flying types were always weak against Electric attacks. He looked up to see Ash and Pikachu aboard Pidgeot. The trio wobbled slightly as Pidgeot tried to compensate for the awkward load it was carrying. Pikachu launched several more Electric attacks, being very careful not to hit its friends.  
  
Articuno wailed, now hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Despondent, it flapped its wings and launched straight upward, flying off towards the island's volcano. Brock sighed in relief. He replaced Vulpix's Pokéball back on his belt, then walked over to Onix. "Don't worry, old friend, we'll have you fixed up in no time." He recalled Onix. Hopefully it wouldn't suffer from freeze damage as pure energy.   
  
Ash recalled Pidgeot and placed the ball on his own belt. "Man, that thing is tough. I'd love to have it on my team." he said wistfully.  
  
"I don't know if we're going to be able to beat it, let alone catch it." Brock said dubiously. He watched the receding form of Articuno. "What I don't get is, why is it attacking the town in the first place?"  
  
"I don't know." He looked at the buildings around them. The ice bird hadn't bothered to tear down more than one or two walls from them. "It didn't bother to finish off these buildings...just opened them up. Almost like it's looking for something."  
  
Rico ran up from his hiding spot in a demolished building. Once the battle had started he ran like a Rapidash being chased by a Golduck. "That was incredible!" he cried, grabbing the two trainers in a bear hug. "You have driven off El Frio Diablo! He is defeated!"  
  
"I don't think he'll stay defeated, Rico." Brock drawled thoughtfully. "I think it was looking for something, and it won't stop until he's found whatever that is." Ash nodded his agreement.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Rico said nervously, "It is a monster! It only knows destruction, that is why it destroys!" He pounded his fist into his open palm. "We must track the monster to its lair in the mountain and finish it!"  
  
Ash sighed. "Yeah, guess so."  
  
"Hey!" Misty shouted from down the street. She was running towards them, keeping her parents in tow. "What happened, guys?"  
  
"It was very rude to run off like that." Misty's mom insisted, still carrying Percy the Persian.  
  
Ash and Brock gave each other looks of confusion; here they were, trying to save a town, and she was calling them rude? "Uh, sorry," Brock began, "But, uh, we were looking for-"  
  
"A softserve yogurt shop." Ash finished. He looked over at a half-demolished building. "There's part of one!"  
  
"I think the rest of it is over there." Brock pointed down the street. "Come on!" He got behind Misty's parents and pushed them away, promising them fat-free yogurt.  
  
Misty made sure they were out of earshot, then looked to Ash and Rico. "What'd I miss?"  
  
Ash rolled his eyes. "We've got a Legendary Bird on our hands, Mysterious. An Articuno is here, and it's mad as all get-out."  
  
She pulled Togepi out of her back and cradled the egg-shaped youth. "An Ice Bird, huh? What's the plan?"  
  
"We'll track it down." Ash explained. He pointed towards the dormant Volcano. "Rico says its lair is in the mountain." He looked to Rico, who nodded in confirmation. "We'll leave as soon as possible...unless of course, you'll be too busy babysitting your parents?" he asked with annoyance.  
  
She grinned for the first time since meeting up with her elders. "Oh, no. We can say goodbye to those two, they hate hiking. The most walking they ever do is the walk from the taxi cab to the plane." She very nearly danced with glee. "There's no way they'd want to come on a hike up a mountain, especially a volcano."  
* * *  
  
"Come on, let's keep up the pace!" Misty's dad hollered. He was wearing a ridiculous alpine hiker getup, waving from above them on the trail. "We don't have all day now!"  
  
"Yes, do hurry!" Misty's mother said, bringing up the rear. Her rather heavy pack wasn't slowing her down a bit, probably because she had stuck Ash with it. "You're such a dear to carry my supply pack, Gary." she smiled.  
  
Brock was dragging behind as well, carrying an equally heavy pack. "What's this one?" he huffed.  
  
"Why, that's lunch!"  
  
Brock tried to make the best of it. "Well, that was thoughtful of you, Mrs. Waterflower. You packed a nice picnic lunch for all of us."  
  
"All of you?" she said, confused. Then she laughed. "No, no, silly, that's my lunch." She pulled a can from her pocket and stuffed it in Brock's bag, making him groan further. "And a diet soda. After all, I have to keep my figure trim!" She patted the boys on the head. "You're such nice boys."  
  
Ash rolled his eyes as he and Brock struggled under the weight. Pikachu walked behind Ash, trying to help the overloaded trainer. The poor mouse was afraid his friend would topple over and crush him. "No problem." Ash grunted, casting Misty a glare that could melt steel. She could do nothing except look apologetic.  
  
"Everyone!" Misty's father had reached the apex of a particularly steep slope, "Everyone! I found something." They ran up to where he was shouting, except of course for Ash and Brock; they could barely walk. Nevertheless, they made it and let the huge packs slide off their shoulders. The packs barely beat them to the ground as they sank to their knees, panting with exertion.  
  
Misty tilted her head at her father's discovery; a wide, dark opening in the rock face of the cliff. "Wow..." she said, "I wonder how far in it goes."  
  
"Oh, let's explore it!" her mother said excitedly. She set Percy down, who yawned and welcomed a large flat surface to stretch out on. Pikachu walked around the obese Persian with disdain and peered into the cavern. "Come now, it will be fun!" Misty's mother squealed. She pulled a pair of lanterns out of the pack Ash had been carrying and handed one to her husband. Together, they entered the cavern. Misty's parents had their lanterns set on low, which didn't provide much illumination. The group could barely see the people walking next to them, much less what lay in the inky blackness of the cave. "Dear, turn your lantern up." Misty's mother said, adjusting her own light. The lanterns glowed bright enough to see the majority of the chamber. It also allowed them to see that they were surrounded.  
  
"Oh my God!" Brock yelled in horror. The group was circled on all sides by a whole flock of Articuno. There were over a dozen of them. Apparently, they didn't like having their home invaded, and began screeching their protests. "They're everywhere!" The Rock's voice wavered with fear.  
  
"Guess Articuno aren't as rare as people thought..." Ash said with a mix of sarcasm and unfathomable terror. He took a defensive stance. "Pikachu, let's get ready!"  
  
Pikachu nodded and growled at the Articuno. Brock and Misty prepared their own defenders for combat.  
  
"Vulpix, I choose you!"  
  
"Starmie, go!"  
  
They both threw their Pokéballs, releasing the monsters from storage. Starmie floated, trying to cover the perimeter of the group, while Vulpix looked from one Legendary Bird to the next with confusion and fear.  
  
Misty's parents were shocked. "They are trainers!" she hollered indignantly.  
  
Her husband was similarly peeved. "Mysterious, what is the meaning of this?" he huffed.  
  
"Not now, please." she hissed. Her brow was creased with concentration. "Starmie, Light Screen!" Her star-shaped Pokémon produced a bright barrier between it and the Articuno. Unfortunately, the barrier didn't cover a 360-degree radius; one of the Articuno perched behind Starmie blasted the Water type with an Ice Beam, freezing it in its tracks. "Starmie!" Misty ran to her fallen star monster, cradling it. The poor Pokémon had turned blue, and was shuddering with hypothermia.  
  
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack!" Ash yelled. His Pika pal powered up for a voltage volley, but was caught unaware from behind, as Starmie had been. "Pikachu!" The Pokémon hit the ground, half-frozen and whimpering with the cold. Ash ran up and swept his comrade up in his jacket.  
  
A pair of Articuno, in the meantime, were bearing down on Vulpix. "Uh, Ash, this may be a good time for a hasty retreat." Brock said. Vulpix tried to use his Flamethrower; it drove the ice birds back, but didn't knock them out. "We're outgunned here!"  
  
The group turned to run, Ash and Misty carrying their chilly pocket monsters, but the way was blocked. The Articuno were furious now, having been disturbed and attacked all at once. They bore down on the trespassers mercilessly, pecking at them and blasting them with freezing sprays of ice and snow.  
  
"What now?" Misty yelled to be heard above the noise that their attackers were making. She looked over to Ash. Her friend was staring at a Pokéball in his hand. He looked uncertain.  
  
"Now," he said grimly, "We play the trump card, and hope it doesn't backfire on us." He tossed the ball out. "Come on out, Charizard!"  
  
Charizard formed from the energy spat out of the ball and landed face down, asleep on the job. Ash nearly tore out his hair. "Charizard!" he screamed, "Get up!" The lizard rolled lazily onto its back, apparently not to enthused with the prospect of battle.  
  
One of the Articuno, the one that had attacked the village, saw Charizard and recognized it from the battle. It launched a freezing Ice Beam at the lizard, hitting it square in the chest. Charizard roared in pain, spraying flame everywhere.  
  
"Wonderful," Misty's father said disgustedly, "We're not only going to die with Pokémon trainers, we have to die with incompetent ones."  
  
Lucky for them, it wasn't so; Charizard's flames of anguish managed to drive the Articuno back, clearing a path out of the cave. The group seized the opportunity, scrambling out of there as fast as possible. Ash, Misty and Brock were in the lead, followed by Misty's parents. Unfortunately, Ash had the misfortune of tripping over the bags that Misty's mother had so kindly made them carry up the steep slope. He tumbled, tripping up his friends and sending all of them rolling and bouncing down the rough trail. Ash clung tightly to Pikachu, trying to take the brunt of the rough terrain so the mouse wouldn't be hurt further. Misty did the same for her Starmie, as well as Togepi still in her knapsack. Brock managed to tuck and roll with his Vulpix safe in his arms.  
  
Faster and faster they tumbled until they reached the bottom of the trail. The trio crashed into a tree planted conveniently to the side of the road, bringing their exodus of the mountain to a halt. Ash moaned, trying to sit up. He ached all over, and had about a million cuts and bruises. He coughed, sending pain shooting through his chest. "Is everyone all right?"  
  
Brock moaned as well. He wasn't in much better shape than Ash. A shiner was starting to form around his left squint. "I'm okay..." he checked in his lap, where Vulpix sat. It had lost consciousness, but seemed okay.  
  
Misty, who was half on top of Ash, pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. She checked Starmie, who had landed several feet away from its trainer when she had lost her grip on it. It was still partially frozen, and the jewel that comprised most of its front was blinking dimly. "I'll live," she groaned, "Though just barely."  
  
Ash opened up his jacket to check on Pikachu. The rodent was frozen, and now battered. It 'Pika'ed weakly, hardly stirring. Suddenly, the wind picked up; Ash could hear a pair of wings beating, coming closer. He grew fearful, but his fear turned to rage when he looked up. Charizard circled above them, coming in for a landing. The flame lizard landed unsteadily, causing the ground beneath them to quake.  
  
"Ash?" Misty asked quietly. Ash was trembling with fury. She had never seen him so angry. His face was turning as red as Charizard.  
  
"That's it." he said softly. He pulled Charizard's Pokéball off of his belt and flipped up the main control button. Beneath it, a smaller red button glistened. "That is it. No more, Charizard." He pressed the button. The Pokéball immediately beeped and fizzled. "You're released." he growled at Charizard. "Go!"  
  
Charizard eyed him, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Go!" Ash screamed, pointing upwards and away. His former Fire type flew off with a huff, not needing to be told again. Ash pulled out Dexter, activating the device. "Dexter, de-register Charizard."  
  
"Huh?" the machine said, confused after just waking from stasis mode. "De-register? Ash, what's going on?"  
  
"Just do it." Ash growled. He picked up Pikachu and moved to his feet, groaning in pain. Then he began limping towards the town, intent on finding the Pokémon Center.  
  
Misty and Brock exchanged glances of surprise. "I never thought..." Misty started.  
  
"I know." Brock said, equally amazed.  
  
Before they could say anything else, Misty's parents barreled down the steep trail. It had taken them a few extra minutes to get there, seeing as how they hadn't taken the short cut their younger companions had fallen into. Misty's mother was turning red, probably not accustom to running, and certainly not with a Persian in her arms. Her father had an easier time with his longer legs. He skidded to a halt in front of where Brock and Misty sat underneath the tree, cradling their Pokémon.  
  
"I think you have some explaining to do, Mysterious." Hands on his hips, her father had a stern look on his face.  
* * *  
  
Misty sat down with a heavy sigh in one of the reception area chairs in the Pokémon Center. At least Starmie would be all right; the doctors said that the Water type would just need a day or two of rest and observation in the Center before it was ready to battle again. She wished her problem with her parents was as easy to fix. They were standing on the other end of the Center, arguing and occasionally pointing at Misty. She could catch snatches of their conversation; 'What to do', 'Scruffy trainers', 'All your fault'. She rubbed her temples, moaning.  
  
Ash walked from the receptionist's counter to where Misty sat and took the seat next to her. "Everything okay?" he asked.  
  
"Starmie will be fine." she mumbled softly. She tossed Ash his hat back, which he accepted gratefully. It wouldn't be needed anymore now that the deception was shattered. She glared over to where her parents were having their fight. "Those two, on the other hand..."  
  
"You know, it's not that uncommon to fight with parents." Ash tried to console her as he put his hat back on, "My mom and I fought all the time."  
  
She sighed, exasperated. "It isn't the same, Ash. Your mom is busting with pride at what you've become. My parents..." she waved her hand dismissively, "They just don't listen, they don't get it."  
  
Ash leaned back thoughtfully. "Huh." he rubbed his chin, "It's not too different with me and Charizard." Misty looked at him like he was crazy. "No, seriously. I mean, look; he never listened, he didn't respect me, and he fought with me all the time." He smiled wistfully. "But now that I think about it, I can still remember all of the good times. I can remember when I first caught him as a Charmander, all alone on that rock...I remember all of the battles we've won, and all the hard times we've pulled through together." He looked sad, "And now he's gone. And I miss him."  
  
"I guess it's too late to get him back."  
  
"Yeah," he nodded. He looked at Misty's parents, who had appeared to calm down. "I guess once you give up, you can't try again." He smiled at his friend.  
  
She smiled back. "Thanks, Ash."  
  
Brock exited the back room of the Intensive Care Unit and rendezvoused with his friends. "Everything's squared away, guys. They'll take care of our Pokémon." He stuck his large hands in his pockets. "What do we do now?"  
  
Ash saw Rico run in through the Center's automatic doors. "Now? Now we get some answers." he said with masked rage in his voice. He stood and intercepted the local at a fast pace, Brock and Misty hot on his heels. "Rico!" he barked.  
  
"Mr. Ketchum, thank goodness you are all right." Rico said, relieved.  
  
"Stuff it." Brock said, "You didn't tell us there was more than one Articuno."  
  
Rico glanced around nervously. "I know not what you speak of, Mr. Stone."  
  
Misty punched the native in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. "Why are those Articuno attacking the village?" she hollered.  
  
"I do not know, they are monsters!"  
  
"Those monsters didn't bother to finish us off once we got out of their home." Ash spat, "They were just defending themselves. What have you got on them, Rico?"  
  
"All right, all right." Rico said, holding up his hands, "I will tell you. Just do not hurt me." he pleaded Misty, who looked ready to take another shot at him. "The Freezing Devils have not always attacked us. At one time, we did not even know of their existence. A short time ago, diggers in our iron mines discovered a nest of giant blue eggs." Rico was sweating nervously now. "We removed the eggs to further examine them. Then, strangers come and say that they will purchase the eggs from us for large amounts of cash."  
  
"Who?" Brock demanded.  
  
"I know not. They wear big R on their uniform." He scratched his head, puzzled. "They also have talking cat with them. Very strange."  
  
"Rocket." Misty muttered. "It figures."  
  
"But before they bring cash, El Frio Diablo attacks. Sometimes two of them, sometimes three. Always they destroy buildings, tearing them apart."  
  
Ash was disgusted. "So that's it. You stole their eggs, and they want them back."  
  
"We are a poor village, Mr. Ketchum." Rico tried to explain, "We have nothing. The money they would have given us could have done much for our town."  
  
"Where are they eggs?" Ash grilled Rico. "We're going to give them back...all of them, right now."  
  
Rico started to protest but decided against it. "Of course. I will take you to them right now."  
  
They started off. Misty was following behind them when someone grabbed her by the shoulder from behind and spun her around. "Where do you think you're going, Mysterious?" her father demanded.  
  
"You aren't going anywhere with those...those trainers!" her mother shrieked, lugging around Percy the Persian.  
  
Misty felt red seep into her features as her rage blossomed into a full-blown fury. "I am going back up the mountain to try and stop the Articuno from destroying what's left of this town." she said as slowly and calmly as she could manage.  
  
"Absolutely not!" her father shot. "You'll do no such thing, young lady."  
  
"We didn't raise you to be a fool, Mysterious." her mother scolded.  
  
That was it. "My name is MISTY! M-I-S-T-Y! And you didn't raise me at all, mother!" Her mother started to protest, but she cut her off, "No! You don't seem to get it, do you? I'm a Pokémon Trainer. This is what I do; I battle with Pokémon, and I try to help them whenever I can. That's what we're doing right now. And let me tell you something about those 'scruffy' trainers; those guys are the best trainers anywhere and they're the best friends I could ever have. Now, I don't care if you don't like them, and I don't care if you don't like what I do, and I don't even care if you don't like me. I'm a Trainer, and there isn't a single thing you or anyone else is going to do to change that!" She stormed out with a huff, stomping her feet as loudly as she could.  
  
Ash was leaning on the outside of the building, waiting for her. "You okay?" he asked, jogging to catch up to her.  
  
She rubbed her eyes. "I will be."  
  
He gave her a smile. "C'mon, Brock and Rico are heading for the Town Hall to get the eggs. Let's catch up."  
* * *  
  
"Here, Articuno." Ash called softly. "Come out, come out wherever you are."  
  
Brock, carrying an egg similar to the one Ash was cradling, gave his friend a funny stare. "Ash, I wouldn't be in too big a hurry to call them over." He looked up the mountain path that would lead them back to the cave, shuddering. As brave as he was, he wasn't too eager to repeat what had happened a few hours earlier.  
  
"Once those Articuno realize what we're carrying, they'll be after us like a Pidgeotto catching Magikarp." Dexter quipped from inside Ash's jacket.  
  
"Uhh, I hadn't thought of that..." Ash mumbled.  
  
Misty rolled her eyes, lugging Togepi. One egg was enough to worry about. "You figured we'd just show up with an armload of the Articuno's eggs, and they'd just take them back and thank us?"  
  
"Something along those lines."  
  
"We'll probably be lucky if we make it off the mountain in one piece." Brock murmured. He peered through his squints up the dormant volcano's path, looking for signs of their quarry. "Don't see anything yet. Maybe we can just dump the eggs in the cave and scram before they ever find us. Hey, maybe this won't be so hard after all." he laughed jovially.  
  
"Uh, Brock?" his friends said with a shiver in their voices.  
  
Brock shot them a glance. "Something wrong?" His friends were staring behind them. He turned to see what was the matter, and understood in an instant; the entire flock of Articuno was bearing down on them, enraged that the trio would have the gall to cart their eggs around in the open.  
  
"Oh shoot." the Rock muttered.  
* * *  
  
Charizard rolled over lazily, coming slowly back to consciousness; something had disturbed its nap. Whatever it was, it greatly hoped for their sake that they were flame repellant. Charizard looked over towards the source of the noise; a flock of those large blue Bird Pokémon-Articuno?-were attacking something on the trail nearby. It pushed up onto its clawed feet and stretched its wings. It might be amusing to see what was going on, perhaps see if it could claim a bit of the action. The fiery lizard took off with a jump and a large push from its mighty wings, gliding towards the battlefield.  
* * *  
  
Ash jumped back from a freezing blast of icy wind, nearly becoming a frozen Popsicle. One Articuno, the one that had attacked the town, was leading the assault on the 'intruders'. It swooped in, aiming an Ice Beam that shot right between Ash and Misty. The pair leapt out of the way and slid down the hillside, already covered in ice from Articuno's previous attacks. Brock, meanwhile, was making a desperate grab for the bundle of eggs that had been cast aside when the ordeal started.  
  
"Brock, make a run up the hill!" Ash yelled, "We'll try to keep them busy here." His older friend nodded and began a grueling sprint up the steep trail. Ash shook his head and pulled a Pokéball off of his belt. "I must be nuts." he muttered.  
  
Misty grabbed a rock to stop her slide and carefully rose to her feet. "Keep them busy? Are you crazy?" she screeched incredulously at Ash, "We don't have anything that can last two seconds against it, much less beat it!"  
  
She was about to hurl more of her fury at him when a dark shadow flashed over her. She gasped and looked up; Charizard's bulky form was lazily winging its way towards the trail. "Ash, look!" she yelled, pointing towards the sky.  
  
Ash saw what she was so excited about. "Charizard?" he whispered.  
  
Articuno saw Charizard as well. Apparently, it hadn't heard about the lizard's "falling out" with Ash. It shot towards Charizard, blasting it with an Ice Beam. Charizard roared in pain and spiraled from the sky, crashing into the ground with enough force to make the terrain quake. Ash ran towards Charizard without hesitation. "Charizard!" he yelled. He hurtled several bushes and boulders cluttering the side of the mountain, making his way towards the fallen Pokémon. "Just hang on," he told Charizard as he pulled a Hyper Potion from his pack, "It'll be okay."  
  
Charizard blinked, looking up at Ash. Why was this kid being so nice to it? All it ever did was flame broil the little twerp. It grunted as Ash injected the Potion into its arm, bringing its hit-points back into acceptable levels. It struggled to get up, still a little woozy from that last hit.  
  
Articuno screeched and dove in, intending on finishing off Charizard with one final blow. He built up a large blast of freezing power in its beak and let loose a huge Ice Beam. The cascading blue energy shot straight for Charizard's tail flame.  
  
Ash's eyes widened. If that Ice Beam hit, Charizard could die; the Charmander evolutions each had a flame on their tails, one that could mean death if it were extinguished. Without thinking, Ash leapt in front of the attack, taking the brunt of the beam on his chest. He screamed in agony as the ice energies enveloped his body, freezing him. He could feel his body temperature dropping like a stone.  
  
"ASH!" Misty screamed, sprinting to where her longtime friend had dropped to the ground. She skidded to a stop and went down on her knees, checking his pulse; it was slow and erratic. Most of his skin had a bluish hue to it. "Ash, you're going hypothermic!"  
  
"Actually," he said weakly, a sardonic smile playing across his sapphire lips, "I think I'm just freezing to death. He coughed violently and looked up at Charizard. "You okay, Charizard?"  
  
The fire lizard was in total shock. After all it had done to this kid...broil him, slash him, bite him...this trainer was still willing to risk his life for it. Maybe it had been wrong about him all along. Charizard looked up at Articuno, hovering above them. It was time to make things right. It took off, sending a backblast of air rushing past Ash and Misty. Articuno tried to hit it with several Ice Beams, but it dodged them. Charizard's rage fueled it, making it stronger, more agile, and more powerful. It concentrated hard, focusing the flames from within, and let loose with a Fire Blast attack.  
  
The star of fire shot out of the lizard's mouth and sped towards Articuno at impossible speeds. It struck squarely on the mark before the Legendary Bird could dodge. The flames engulfed the bird, sending it crashing towards the ground. Charizard huffed at its downed opponent, then sped back towards its trainer...towards its friend.  
  
Misty scrambled back in fear as Charizard landed heavily on the ground. The fiery lizard drew in a breath, then spat flames onto Ash. "No!" Misty yelled in horror. Then she stopped; Charizard's flames weren't raging out of control, like they usually were. They were focused, never staying more than a moment on any part of Ash. Soon, the blue hue disappeared from his face. He moaned and sat up; he may not have been hypothermic anymore, but his system had received a fairly bad shock. "Ch-charizard?" He said weakly. His former fiery friend snorted. "Charizard, you saved us..."  
  
"Nothing can save you now, boy!" a shrieking voice from above cackled.  
  
"Your friend already gave us the eggs, twerps. I don't see Pikachu, but that full-grown Articuno will make a lovely parting gift!"  
  
They looked up; Team Rocket was looming above them in their Meowth balloon, smirking as they always did. They had Brock bound and gagged, tied to the outside of the balloon's basket. Jessie and James leapt from their air-headed vehicle down onto the ground.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie began.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation," James wasn't far behind her, pulling out his trademark rose.  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above."  
  
"Jessie!" She threw a Pokéball out, releasing Arbok.  
  
"James!" Her partner sent out Weezing.  
  
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"  
  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"  
  
Their feline cohort leaned out of the balloon. "Meowth, that's right!" He unsheathed his claws and put the points under Brock's neck. "Better hand over that boid, or thing'll get ugly." He tore the gag off of Brock's mouth roughly. "Tell 'em, Rock Boy."  
  
Instead, Brock bit into Meowth's hand and tugged down, pulling Meowth out of the basket. Meowth yelped, dangling from Brock's mouth. Brock spit him out, sputtering around a mouthful of hair. The unlucky cat spiraled down to the ground, landing with a thud. Brock was still spitting out cat hair. "Hey Ash, Misty, you guys gonna get me down or what?"  
  
Ash staggered to his feet, pulling a Pokéball from his pocket. Misty helped him up, concerned. "Ash, are you insane? You nearly died, you can't battle now!"  
  
He shrugged her hand off and tossed her the Pokéball. "Here. Fly up and get Brock down." He stared grimly at Team Rocket, advancing on the fallen Articuno. "I'll handle those two." He started forward, but stumbled down onto the ground, landing hard.  
  
"Ash..."  
  
"I hate to bother you two, but I think I've had enough of hanging out with Team Rocket!" Brock hollered, annoyed. Team Rocket was drawing closer to Articuno, their Pokémon eager to battle such a badly wounded foe. In such a weakened state, even the Legendary Bird could not hope to defend itself.  
  
Ash clutched his ribs, groaning. Then he felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. He looked around wildly; Charizard had lifted him off of the dirt. It swung the wounded trainer around and placed him on its own leathery back, then began charging at Team Rocket.  
  
Misty blinked, amazed beyond comprehension. Then she tossed the Pokéball Ash had given her, releasing Pidgeot. "Okay Pidgeot, let's hit the skies!" She mounted the avian Pokémon and rode on its back as it carried her up to the balloon.  
  
Jessie toed the whimpering Articuno disgustedly. It was a mass of charred, mangled blue and white feathers. "This is almost too easy." She pulled out a Pokéball, intending to capture it with a flick of her wrist, when another Pokéball streaked in from behind them and struck Articuno. It converted to energy with a wash of white light then was sucked into the capture/containment device. Both James and Jessie stared, horrified, as the Pokéball's diode glowed bright red, then faded. The ball floated into the air and returned to Ash's hand. Ash, still on Charizard's back, made his victory 'V' with his fingers. "Ketchum one, Team Rocket zero." he bragged.  
  
"Get ready to change the scoreboard, twerp." James growled. "Weezing, Sludge attack."  
  
Ash's eyes narrowed. "Charizard, feel up to another Fire Blast?" Charizard roared in fury. Before either Arbok or Weezing could initiate any attacks, the flame lizard let loose another star of molten fire. It blasted into the pair of monsters, sending them flying back.  
  
Jessie and James were frightened beyond terror. They recalled Arbok and Weezing, then dead-sprinted across the field. "Sorry we couldn't stay, but we really must be going!" Jessie hollered.  
  
"We'll give the Boss your regards when we hand over the Articuno eggs!" James added. He grabbed Meowth from the cat's own self-made crater and grabbed onto a rope dangling from the balloon. Jessie followed suit.  
  
"One more time, Charizard!" Ash thrust a finger up at the balloon. Charizard drew in a large breath, then launched one last flaming star. It struck the balloon with explosive force, sending Team Rocket-  
  
"Blasting off again!" The trio flew over the horizon, winking out of sight.  
  
Ash hugged Charizard's neck and swung down onto the ground, standing unsteadily on his own two feet. Great job, Charizard!" he laughed. Then he saw the flock of Articuno dropping down after him; now that the battle seemed to be over, they were coming to collect their eggs, and their fallen comrade. "Oh Jeez, I forgot about the eggs!" He looked at the cloud of black smoke that comprised the remains of Team Rocket's aircraft.  
  
"Lucky for you, we didn't!" Misty and Brock swooped down from the sky riding Pidgeot. The Bird Pokémon landed clumsily from all the excess weight. Misty and Brock, each with an armload of eggs, dismounted. They ran up ahead and placed the eggs on the ground, then backed up slowly. The Articuno landed warily, expecting some sort of trick. They eyed Misty and Brock, then one by one they each picked up an egg in their beaks, then flew up high. The three friends squinted as the Articuno flew up into the stratosphere, towards the top of the mountain, returning to their lair.  
  
Ash tossed his freshly used Pokéball up experimentally. "I guess they won't be wanting this back." he said with a grin. He made another 'V'. "I got Articuno!"  
* * *  
  
Pikachu sighed contently, perched on Ash's shoulder once more. There wasn't a feeling in the world that could beat the one a Pokémon felt right after it had been discharged from the Pokécenter. Ash sighed, equally content. He himself had been discharged from the hospital for severe burns, frostbite and internal system shock a few hours before. "Well Pikachu, how do you feel?" His comrade 'Pika'ed happily, giving his trainer a mousy grin. Misty and Brock walked back from the service counter, returning their own Pokémon to their respective belts. "You guys ready to jet?" Ash asked them.  
  
"Ready and rock-steady." Brock gave him a thumbs-up.  
  
"I'm all se-"  
  
Misty was cut off by a very familiar "Myster-ious!" She gritted her teeth and turned. Her parents were making their way through the crowd in the center. Her mother was still carrying that blasted Persian around.  
  
Ash and Brock backed up uncomfortably. "Uh, we'll be waiting over by the door, Misty." Ash rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"Good luck." Brock said before they made a hasty retreat.  
  
"Oh, Mysterious, I'm glad we caught you before you left." her father said as he walked up to her.  
  
Her mother nodded. "Yes, there's something we needed to say-"  
  
"Look," Misty said uneasily, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It wasn't right. But what I said was right. And-"  
  
"We agree wholeheartedly." her mother interrupted.  
  
"No, please, don't...Huh?" Misty's jaw went slack with surprise.  
  
Her father embraced her with a fierce bear hug, the kind he used to give her when she was a child. "You've made your decision, Mysterious...Misty." he said softly. "We may not approve,"  
  
"But we understand." Her mother jumped in, "You're so very dear to us, Misty. It doesn't matter what you do, we'll always love you. And we're so proud of you."  
  
She blinked. "Proud?"  
  
"Ridiculously so." Her father nodded. He kissed her on the forehead. "Now hurry up, you don't want to keep your friends waiting."  
  
As Misty turned to leave, her mother added, "Oh, Misty, good luck with that Ash boy."  
  
"Ash? What?" Misty's mother gave her a knowing wink. "Oh, no, there's nothing between-"  
  
Her father rolled his eyes. "She follows the same boy around for five years, and she tries to tell us they're not involved." They chuckled and waved at Misty. "Don't forget to write! We'll want to know all about it!"  
* * *  
  
"So how'd things go with your parents?" Brock asked as they walked towards partially rebuilt airport. The sun had only partially risen, giving the sky a beautiful morning twilight.  
  
Misty frowned thoughtfully, then smiled. "It was sort of weird...but kind of nice, too."  
  
"They say anything important?" Ash asked her. He shifted Pikachu so the electric mouse's claws weren't digging into his shoulders so much.  
  
She glanced at Ash, remembering what her parents had said. "Oh, you know parents; they say all sorts of crazy, stupid things." She laughed lightly. Ash and Brock exchanged confused glances, then shrugged; sometimes it was best to just not ask. Together they walked into the sunset, ready for a new adventure.  
  
End  
  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #5  
Of Souls and Spirits  



	5. Of Souls and Spirits

=Author's Note=  
My sister and I had a fairly big argument over the Pokémon Tower episode. Was Ash really dead? My argument was this; if your spirit leaves your body, and you aren't breathing, you're dead! Those who would like to disagree, please don't. However, if you want to send in comments, I'm more than ready (cyberwraith9@yahoo.com).  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not owned by me. Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.  
  
BadgeQuest #5  
Of Souls and Spirits  
  
Rows of boxes towered above them like wooden cliff faces, casting the already darkened warehouse in shadows. The moonlight shining above Saffron City filtered in through a lone skylight, casting barely enough illumination to see by. Inside the mountainous crates were various Pokétechnologies; Ultra Balls, antitoxins, regeneration pallets, and hundreds of other devices. It was the trademark stock of Silph Co., the world's leading provider in Pokémon technological accessories...  
  
It was the last place a company would look for it's own stolen merchandise.  
  
"To infect the world with devastation..."She ran a hand over her sensual figure, posing for an unseen audience.  
  
"To ignite all peoples within our nation." He stood behind her, his lips upward with an arrogant smirk. He twirled a purple Pokéball in his hand, tossing it up lazily.  
  
"To denounce the beauty of truth and love,"  
  
"To extend our wrath to the stars above,"  
  
"Cassedy." She spun in place, reveling in the moment.  
  
"Butch."  
  
"Team Rocket circling the globe day and night,"  
  
"Surrender now, or you will surely lose the fight!"  
  
Cassedy leaned against one of the towering pile of crates. Her laughter rang like a bell, filling the deserted building with a haunting echo. "The Boss'll be pleased with us this time." she said, snatching the purple Pokéball from Butch's hands. "He'll finally forgive us for all our mistakes in the past."  
  
Butch reached down and pulled up a large glass container. He peered at the enraged Pikachu inside, trying to blast its way out with electric attacks. "And this Pikachu won't hurt us none either." he said in a gravely voice. He joined in her laughter; things were finally going their way.  
  
Cassedy cradled the Pokéball carefully. "Once the Boss lays eyes on this little gem, our reputation will go through the roof!"  
  
As if on cue, the skylight was smashed in. Shards of razor sharp glass rained down on the pair like a hailstorm. They raised their arms, squealing, trying to protect themselves. "W-what's going on?" Butch's voice quivered with surprise.  
  
A trio of figures landed behind them with a crash. One of them rose to his feet and leapt the distance between them with a short hop. He ripped the glass container from Butch's hands and smashed it open. The Pikachu shook off shards of glass, then leapt up onto the stranger's shoulder.  
  
Cassedy scowled at the intruders, venom in her voice and fire in her eyes. "Just who do you think you are?"  
  
The stranger stepped into the feeble moonlight, revealing a dark blue jacket and an official league hat. "I'm Ash Ketchum. You had something that belonged to me." He tickled Pikachu under the chin. "I just came to collect."  
  
Misty stepped into view, standing at Ash's side. "We also came for the prototype Pokétechnology you stole from Silph Co."  
  
Brock similarly revealed himself. "We came to collect that as well."  
  
Butch growled. "You twerps again...I thought we shook you in Saffron."  
  
"We decided to take a detour on our way to the airport." Ash said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He clenched his fist. "Granted, it was a long detour,"  
  
"But for you guys," Brock took a menacing step towards them, his Pokéball at the ready.  
  
"We decided to go out of our way." Misty finished. She pulled Starmie's Pokéball from her bag and expanded it to full size.  
  
"How nice..." Cassedy cooed. She ripped a Pokéball out from her jacket and threw it over the trio's heads. "Hypno, destroy them!"  
  
Hypno was released from the ball with a bright flash of energy. The Psychic Pokémon immediately charged at Ash, Misty and Brock, intending on using a Headbutt attack.  
  
"I'll handle this one." Ash said, "You guys take the Rockets." His friends nodded, starting for Butch and Cassedy. Ash turned to face the Hypno, already gearing up for another attack. "Okay, Pikachu; looks like we've got one flash-fry order, extra crispy." His partner 'Pika'ed, leaping from his shoulder to square off with the Hypno.  
  
Pikachu powered up, hitting Hypno with a Thundershock. The Hypno was frazzled, but not fainted. A psychic aura surrounded its body as it powered up for what would almost certainly be a Psybeam. To Ash's surprise, it wasn't. Hypno launched a Psychic attack that the trainer had never seen before; a bolt of psychic energy leapt from the Pokémon's body, mimicking electricity. Unfortunately for Pikachu, it moved twice as fast. The poor powershock Pokémon was frazzled as the psychic 'bolt' struck it in its tiny chest. Pikachu was thrown back into one of the boxes, sending a spray of splintering shrapnel in all directions as the box broke apart. Ash's eyes went wide with surprise. He pulled out his Pokédex. "Dexter, what kind of attack is that?"  
  
Dexter scanned the psychic assault. "Combination of Electric and Psychic attacks. Looks like some sort of 'Psyshock' to me." His Pokédex told him. "It isn't one of the confirmed League attacks allowed."  
  
"I don't think Team Rocket is interested in what the League allows, Dex." Ash said dryly. "C'mon, Pikachu, take it out with a Thunderbolt!"  
  
Pikachu shook his head woozily, trying to regain his balance. The small thunder rodent looked up in time to dodge a Headbutt attack with Agility. "Pika!" he shouted indignantly. Pikachu tried to fry the Hypno with a powerful jolt of electricity, but the Psychic Pokémon teleported away. Ash looked around desperately, trying to find where Hypno had reappeared.  
  
"Pika-cha!" Pikachu shouted frantically, pointing its small, clawed finger behind Ash. The League Master whirled around in time to see Hypno running at him at breakneck speed.  
  
Without thinking, he shouted at Pikachu, "Thunderbolt now!" Pikachu obeyed, sending a spray of erratic tendrils of amber energy out towards Hypno. His psychic opponent attacked as well, using its Psyshock. Ash had unwittingly put himself in their crossfire. He screamed in agony as both electricity and psychic powers coursed through his body, lighting him up like a neon sign.  
  
Brock stood over Butch, rubbing his right fist absently; the Rocket's jaw was a lot harder than it looked. He looked over at Misty, who gave him a tired thumbs-up. Her catfight with Cassedy had taken a lot out of her. She checked to make sure all of her hair was still on her head. Brock grinned. Then a bright flash caught their attention. They looked over and saw the two attacks meeting with Ash in the middle.  
  
"Ash!" Misty screamed.  
  
Brock did something a bit more constructive; "Graveler, I choose you!" His Pokéball released Graveler, the four-armed beast of Rock. "Tackle Hypno, hurry!" He didn't think Ash could stand much more.  
  
Graveler grunted and tucked itself into a ball, rolling along the hard concrete. It moved surprisingly fast for a boulder of its size, crushing wooden crates like they were paper maché. Graveler crashed into Hypno, giving the Psychic terror a one-hit KO as it rolled right over it. Hypno gave a small whimper as it lay in a jagged crater before passing out. As soon as the Hypno was down, the attacks stopped and Ash dropped limply to the floor. Brock walked over, recalling his Graveler. He toed the Hypno with his thick boot, smirking at it. "And they say Rock is weak against Psychic."  
  
"Brock!" Misty's cry caught his attention and dragged him from his self-congratulations. She knelt over Ash's unmoving form, desperation seeping into her voice. "Brock, he isn't breathing!" She looked hysterical. "He's not breathing!"  
  
Brock's eyes nearly went wide with panic. "I'll find a phone. Try to...I don't know, do something!" He ran off as fast as he could.  
  
Misty was at a loss...all she could do was watch as Pikachu stood by his fallen trainer, pounding its tiny fists on Ash's chest desperately. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Oh Ash, open your eyes." she cried softly.  
* * *  
  
Brock paced the waiting area of the emergency room like a madman. He felt like asking the nurse for an update, but she had stopped answering him after the fifteenth time. He looked at the ER doors, hoping that the doctor would come back out soon.  
  
He felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned, seeing Misty standing behind him. She gave him a weak grin, holding up a small Styrofoam cup. "Black, just the way you like it."  
  
Brock took the cup gratefully and savored a long drag of coffee. The Rock sighed in contentment, relaxing a little. Mount Moon blend was his favorite. He opened one squint, catching Misty's hopeful gleam in her eye. "Nothing yet. Last I heard, it was still pretty iffy." Her face caved in disappointment.  
  
"Excuse me." A doctor in a stained white smock walked up to Brock and Misty. "Are you the ones who brought in the boy with the Pikachu?" Brock nodded. "I'm happy to report that we've managed to stabilize the boy's vital signs...but there are complications."  
  
The doctor led them back through the ER double doors. The entire area was very unsettling; it had the smell of sterilization about it, mixed in with scents of blood and chemicals. Misty followed the doctor, with Brock on her heels, to a small area enclosed by a circular curtain. Ash was lying on the bed, breathing shallowly. His arm was hooked up to an IV, and a respirator obscured his face. Pikachu sat on the bed next to him, growling fiercely at anyone who came near. The small mouse brightened when he saw his two travel companions show up, giving them a 'Pika' of excitement.  
  
"He's stable now...despite some 'obstacles'." He shot Pikachu an annoyed glance, receiving a growl from the thunder mouse. "Though it is odd;" the doctor scratched his head with curiosity, "It took an unbelievable amount of electricity to restart his heart. It was almost like his body had built up some sort of resistance to shocks." The three visitors cast a suspicious glance at Pikachu.  
  
"Doctor," Misty interrupted, "You said that there was something still wrong?" She walked to the bed, hesitantly touching Ash's arm. He felt cold...  
  
"Well, his body is functioning perfectly." the doctor began. He held up several charts for Brock to see. The Rock trainer turned the graphs first one way, then another; he couldn't make any sense of them. The doctor ignored his confusion, continuing, "But there doesn't seem to be any mental activity."  
  
Misty couldn't resist, even at a time like this. "I wouldn't think that would be a problem for A-"  
  
"You don't understand," he insisted forcefully, laying a hand on her shoulder, "There isn't 'anything'. No cognitive thought, no background noise...nothing." He gestured to Ash's head, uncertainty in his voice. "It's like his mind is gone."  
  
"Gone?" Ash's friends were beginning to see the problem.  
  
"We're moving him to observation in the Intensive Care Unit...we'll know more after some tests." the doctor sighed. "However...if he doesn't come out of this coma, I'm afraid there may be no choice but to cut life support."  
  
"Pull the plug on Ash!" Misty shouted, "NO! You can't!" Brock struggled to hold her back.  
  
"I'm sorry." the doctor said again, "There isn't anything more I can do...he'll have to pull out of it on his own." He exited the curtained area, already on his way to his next patient.  
  
"Brock, we can't let them do this!" Misty said desperately, trying to wriggle free from his iron grip. Pikachu watched them, its head cocked with curiosity. The poor Pokémon didn't understand what was going on. To it, Ash was just sleeping.  
  
Brock tightened his grip and hissed in her ear. "Misty, stop!" Her struggles grew weaker as he chided her, "Look, the doctors can't do anything. All we can do right now is wait, and pray."  
  
She looked weakly at her friend, sniffing. "But...but...the plug...and pulling..." She turned to face Brock, tears once again brimming in her eyes. "We can't let them-"  
  
Brock shushed her. "Look at him." He said, gesturing towards Ash. "He wouldn't want to live like this. This isn't even living." He looked at his best friend, staring sadly at his pale, pasty complexion. "I couldn't do that to him..."  
  
She wiped her eyes, slowly nodding. "All right...fine...we'll wait."  
* * *  
  
"And we'll put the vase of flowers here..." Misty set a tall container of fresh-cut wildflowers on a small, circular table, standing back to see how it looked. "Or maybe on the nightstand..." She turned to Pikachu. "What do you think?"  
  
Pikachu pointed at the table that the vase now sat on. The Pokémon rested on Ash's bed, right beside the comatose youth. It still refused to leave Ash's side, remaining protective of its partner.  
  
"You're right. They look nice where they are." She made a couple of insignificant modifications, then sighed, satisfied. The ICU room looked a bit less sterile since she had added a couple of personal touches to the room.  
  
The young trainer turned as the room's door opened. Brock stood in the doorway, looking as forlorn as Misty had ever seen him. "That bad, huh?"  
  
"Is there any good way to tell someone that they're son's dying?" Brock retorted with fatigue in his voice. "It took a half-hour just to calm her down. I was afraid that she was going to need a doctor herself." He heaved a mighty sigh and let himself drop into one of the folding metal chairs seated around the table.  
  
"Is she coming?" Misty asked quietly.  
  
Brock nodded. "Mm-hmm. But it's the middle of travel season...even the busses are packed. I don't think she'll make it before..." he glanced at Ash. "I don't think she'll make it in time." He saw Misty swallow and blink back more tears; her eyes were already red and puffy from crying. "Hey, it isn't all bad." he said with false cheer in his voice, "I managed to pinch a couple of things from the storage box they set up for Ash's stuff." He reached into his vest and pulled out a trainer belt. Ash's Pokéballs, as well as his Pokédex, were attached to the brown leather strap.  
  
"Brock, that's great!" Misty pulled Dexter off of the belt, examining the device. "Think we should let Dexter know?"  
  
"I really don't feel like explaining it to him now...we'll tell him in the morning." Brock said tiredly. Misty nodded; she was starting to think of Dexter, his AI, as a friend, but she didn't have the energy to deal with him right now either. "Oh, I did manage to get one more thing!" Brock's demeanor brightened as he pulled out Ash's filthy, battered old League cap out of the other side of his green vest.  
  
Misty snatched the hat away from him. "Perfect! I knew something was missing." She walked over to Ash's still form. Even with the respirator, his breathing was shallow and erratic. Misty gently lifted his head and placed the hat on with the bill sticking defiantly into the air. Pikachu cooed softly, bearing its tiny teeth in a grin. "You aren't beat yet, Ash..." she said softly. A small grin lit up her otherwise sullen expression. "You've never quit before. I can't believe you'd quit now."  
  
*That was really sweet, Misty. * A familiar voice wavered in the back of her mind.  
  
Misty gasped, jumping nearly a foot into the air. She slowly turned, looking at Brock. The Master of Rock had jumped out of his seat with surprise. "Did you say something?" she asked slowly, her voice shivering.  
  
He shook his head, equally as upset; he had heard it too. "It must have been our imaginations..." he said. He looked at Pikachu. The Pokémon's ears were up and alert. He looked at his trainer, then around at the rest of the room.  
  
"Pika?" he asked, scratching his head with confusion.  
  
Misty shook her head. "It was just your imagination," she told herself, "It couldn't have been,"  
  
*Can you guys hear me? * The voice said again. It was louder this time, stronger.  
  
"A-ash?" Brock said slowly, looking at Ash's broken body.  
  
*Yes! You can hear me! * They could hear Ash's voice as he let out a war whoop in victory.  
  
"Ash...how...what...where?" Misty couldn't even finish one question. Lucky for her, Brock was thinking more clearly.  
  
"Ash, where are you?"  
  
*I'm right here. * His friend's voice echoed, reverberating unnaturally, *I'm standing right next to you. Can't you see me? *  
  
Misty looked around the room slowly. Pikachu and Brock did the same. "The only 'you' I see," Misty said, "Is right here." She pointed to the bed.  
  
*Woah... * Ash sounded disturbed, *That 'is' me...am I...dead? * He sounded annoyed, *Not again! *  
  
Brock frowned. "Okay, this is really weird." He staggered slightly, as if dazed. "I think I need to sit down."  
  
*Here. * Misty's eyes bugged out as one of the chairs around the table behind Brock moved out on its own, making a loud squealing noise as it dragged across the floor. Brock eyed the chair suspiciously, as if suspecting the seat to be as insubstantial as his friend was.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Misty asked. This had her as confused as Brock. "I mean, how do we...?"  
  
"Well," Brock mused, "As long as we're in Saffron, we might as well call in the expert."  
  
Misty groaned, but she knew he was right. She picked Dexter off of the table. "I'll make the call." She flicked the power toggle with her thumb, bringing the piece of hardware to consciousness.  
  
"Hey Ash!" the machine said cheerfully. Then it recognized who was holding it. "Misty? What's going on, where's Ash?" Dexter was almost as protective of Ash as Pikachu was. Misty rolled her eyes; "I guess I 'will' have to deal with Dex tonight." she thought glumly as she began to explain the situation to the Pokédex.  
* * *  
  
The doctor stuck his head into the door, shivering; after living in Saffron, he had become somewhat accustom to psychics. Still, that tingle of danger always cropped up whenever one was near him. "Excuse me," he said. Brock and Misty looked up from their card game with excitement. "Your guest is here." He stepped into the room.  
  
A tall, regal woman with dark green hair followed after him. She wore a high-collared shirt, a colorful vest and loose, tasteful slacks. Though her apparel was imposing, her face had changed very much from the last time they had met. She smiled broadly upon seeing the pair. "Brock, Misty. A pleasure to see you both again."  
  
"Sabrina." Misty nodded slowly. She was a bit hesitant to call for her help, seeing as how the last time they had met the telepath had turned her and Brock into stuffed dolls. She swallowed her pride and her fear; Sabrina was the only one that could help them now.  
  
Brock wasn't nearly as unforgiving as Misty. His face took on its familiar, soft expression. "H-hey there." he stuttered, blushing. Misty elbowed him sharply, grounding him back into reality. "Uh, thanks for coming on such short notice."  
  
"You said it was urgent." She looked at Ash, his face hidden behind the respirator. "I can see you were not mistaken." She frowned, turning her attention back to the fallen trainer's friends. "But what do you need my assistance with?"  
  
"Ash?" Misty asked, looking around. She hoped that he was still there...or that he had actually been there in the first place, and not a figment of their imagination.  
  
*Right here. * Ash's hollow voice echoed. Hearing him filled Misty with relief. The ghostly Pokémon champion stood unseen behind his friends, arms folded on his chest.  
  
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "I see."  
  
The doctor frowned. "I don't. What in blazes are you talking about?"  
  
Sabrina walked slowly around the room. Her eyes were closed in concentration. She stopped by Ash's body, touching his forehead. Pikachu growled softly at her, trying to get in between Ash and the psychic. Sabrina's eyes snapped open, and she seemed to stare at the exact spot where Ash's spirit stood. He drew in an insubstantial breath, waiting.  
  
"He is here." was all she said.  
  
The doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, of course he's here. You're standing right next to him!"  
  
"Not the shell." Her eyes began glowing softly with a violet aura. "The spirit."  
  
"I don't hear anything."  
  
Sabrina's eyes stopped glowing as she glanced at him. "Only those with an emotional link or psychic abilities are able to hear the departed." she said matter-of-factly.  
  
The doctor threw up his hands in disgust. "Of all the ridiculous..." He pivoted on his heel and left the room, muttering.  
  
Ash was relieved to see him go. He hovered above the floor, floating to where Sabrina stood. *What happened to me? * He looked at his own insubstantial hands; they were a ghastly translucent blue-white. The rest of him appeared to be in a similar state.  
  
Sabrina turned to Brock. "You said he was struck by a Psychic attack?" Brock nodded, frowning. "It is worse than I feared. Humans rarely react well to a Psychic Pokémon's attacks. The results are hard to predict."  
  
"Never mind that, how do we get him back in there?" Misty practically shouted. She was shaking with impatience.  
  
The Psychic master frowned. "He should simply be able to re-enter his body. Though it is difficult to say..."  
  
*It's worth a shot. * Unseen to them all, he reached out slowly towards his 'other self'. He shivered, hesitating for just a moment, then turned his head and thrust his hand into his body's chest.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
The room was silent for several moments, until Misty broke the eerie calm. "Well?"  
  
*I don't know. * Ash tried scratching his head, but his hand passed through the translucent hat on his head. *I touched it, and nothing happened. *  
  
"Perhaps we need help." Sabrina suggested. She put two fingers to her mouth and gave a shrill whistle. A dark purple blob phased through the wall and circled above the room, cackling. Brock and Misty leapt in fright, easily clearing three feet.  
  
"Haunt-ont-ont-ont!"  
  
*Haunter! * Ash said, delighted. It had been ages since he had seen the ghost Pokémon.   
  
Brock forced his pulse down, racing from the sight of the ghost. After all his years as a trainer, those things still scared the daylights out of him. "How's this cloud of gas going to help us?" he growled.  
  
Haunter, meanwhile, had become ecstatic as he saw that Ash was dead. It lifted the trainer up, unseen to all but the Ghost type. "Haunta!"   
  
*Good to see you too, Haunter. *  
  
"Haunter's Dream Eater attack has the capability to remove the spirit from a living thing's body," Sabrina explained, "If it were to reverse the attack-"  
  
"Then Ash would be as good as alive!" Misty finished excitedly. She grabbed Haunter's partially solidified, free-floating hand. "Come on, Haunter, Dream Eat Ash right back into his body!"  
  
Haunter looked to Sabrina, who nodded. Its eyes began to glow red. "Haaaauuuuunt." it moaned. Ash looked down at his non-body; his pale form began to glow a similar red, tingling from his head to his feet. He floated into the air, flipping around until he was hovering above his body, face up.  
  
Haunter was about to place him into his body when an explosion ripped apart the far side of the room, sending a hail of drywall and wood into the small space. Brock, Misty and Sabrina were knocked to the floor, dazed and confused. Haunter stopped his attack, leaving Ash's spirit hanging midair. Ash kicked his ghostly legs trying to regain equilibrium. *What in blue blazes is happening? * he hollered.  
  
A pair of silhouettes became visible through the haze of dust and debris. "To protect the world from devastation..." a shrill, all-too-familiar voice rang through the room.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation." Team Rocket-the 'usual' Team Rocket-stepped into view, smirking. Their balloon appeared to be hovering, Meowth at the controls. The talking cat kept their craft ready for a quick getaway. Jessie and James finished off their motto, releasing their second string Pokémon; Victreebell and Lickitung. The pinkish tongue lizard and the giant bell-shaped flower both made their way slowly forward, squawking and growling.  
  
Sabrina's eyes narrowed in anger. "Leave this place. You have no business disturbing us." She glanced at Haunter, who had already taken to floating above her shoulder. The free-floating vaporous specter looked uncharacteristically eager for a good fight. "Leave, lest I am forced to take arms against you."  
  
"That goes double for us!" Brock's hand went to his belt quick as a flash. His mind was racing; not enough room for Onix or Graveler, and Golbat wouldn't have enough room to maneuver under these tight ceilings. It would have to be Vulpix. Misty likewise reached for a monster to combat with. Her choice was to be Staryu; it wasn't as strong as Starmie, but it could move better in small areas. She looked over to Pikachu, who was bristling and sparking with anger. This time the Rockets had pushed them all too far.  
  
Jessie laughed arrogantly, her normal mixture of rage and egoism asserting itself. "We may not have business with you, but the boy is another matter!" She jabbed a finger at Ash's pale body. "We hate to kick someone when they're down, but orders are orders!"  
  
Meowth began screaming from the balloon, "You guys tink we have all night? Let's get goin' before da cops show up!!!" He struggled with the balloon's limited controls, trying to keep it steady.  
"Victreebell, it's time to play Sandman," James cackled. He grinned broadly, sneering at the Psychic master and her two pathetic associates. "Sleep Powder!"  
  
Victreebell reacted immediately; it opened its gaping mouth and began spewing a bluish haze. The sparkling powder soon filled the far end of the room, covering every cubic inch. Before the besieged could even begin their counterattack, they were forced into slumber. Misty struggled, reaching for Ash-the Ash she could see-before unconsciousness finally overtook her.  
* * *  
  
"Mmmmmmm...Huh?" Misty groaned, trying to sit up. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to take in her surroundings. At first everything was hopelessly blurred, but soon the room snapped back into focus. She finally made out the doctor's soft features looking worriedly at her from above.  
  
"Good, you're awake." he stood up, disposing of a freshly used hypo. Misty propped herself up on her elbows, wincing. She felt her bicep and found a fresh puncture mark there. "You're the last to wake up," the doctor explained. He handed her a glass of water, which she accepted gratefully. "We were worried that you may have had an allergic reaction to the Attack."  
  
She shook her head, smiling weakly. "I'm pretty tough...I was probably just tired." Her eyes snapped open as she fully remembered what had happened. "Ash! Where's-"  
  
*Right here, Misty. * She could hear his echoing voice reverberate through her mind. He stood, unseen, by her bedside.  
  
She stood up slowly, aching. "What about Brock, and Sabrina?" Before she could finish asking, they both walked in. "Never mind. I'm one step behind, as usual." She looked at the doctor. "Would you excuse us, please?" He rolled his eyes but left without a fuss. Misty turned back to Brock and Sabrina. "So what do we do now? I'm assuming that Team Rocket managed to grab 'Ash' after they put us down for a nap."  
  
Brock nodded. "They managed to get up above the clouds before the police could get an aircraft after them." He shook his head, frustrated. "Not a trace. It's a good bet that they're still in the city, though. That balloon of theirs isn't too good over long distances, and it doesn't move too fast." He turned to look out the window, as if half-expecting to see them flying outside. They weren't, of course, but when Team Rocket was involved practically anything could happen. "They took the life-support equipment too, so they wanted him alive."  
  
*But why? * Ash paced the room on ghostly feet. Pikachu's eyes darted about. The poor power-packed Pikachu was becoming frustrated with its inability to see its partner. *I mean, the only one who would want it is me...there isn't much else to do with it besides live in it. * He too was frustrated; being a ghost had its advantages, but it was becoming annoying.  
  
"Revenge." Sabrina stated coldly. That brought everyone's attention to her. "Team Rocket is driven by emotions; hatred; greed; lust for power; bitterness..." Her eyes glowed with a quiet fury. "You have done much in the past to upset their ambitions. Whoever commands those simpletons desires to possess you, for what ends I know not."  
  
*Okay, so someone's gunning for me, nothing new. * Ash grunted, recalling all of his rivals and enemies, *So what do we do now? I'd like to get back into my birthday suit, so to speak. *  
  
"We find you." Brock's voice was flat. "I mean, the half of you we don't have. Then we bring Team Rocket in."  
  
"And maybe see who's running the show." Misty added. They had always wondered who was calling the shots within the worldwide criminal organization. Maybe now they could get some answers.  
  
Sabrina held up her hand to stop the impetuous youths. "Be warned, there is a limit."  
  
*Limit? * Ash gulped, shivering in his translucent tennis shoes.  
  
"The ways of the spirit are vastly unknown," she began, "but this much I know; of all the ancient texts, and all the findings on dispossession, there is one common warning. You must not remain outside your body for more than three days. To do so risks breaking the psychic bond you share with your physical self. Beware the test of time, young friends."  
  
*Three days??? * Ash was horrified. He had been outside of his body for almost twelve hours now. That only left another sixty to find his body and get back into it. *This is bad. This is very bad. * He floated around the room in panic, trying to gather his wits about him. *What happens if the 'psychic link' is broken?" Sabrina only shook her head; she didn't know.  
  
"Calm down." Brock looked around the room in vain, trying to find where Ash's voice was coming from. "I'll call Jenny, see if we can find some known Team Rocket hideouts in Saffron." He turned to his 'living' companion. "Misty, get our gear together, we're moving out immediately. And get me some more coffee, I have a feeling I won't be sleeping for a while."  
  
*What should I do? * Ash asked, finally settling down.  
  
"Get ready to do some heavy hunting." Brock scratched the back of his neck. "Walls won't be a problem for you, so you'll be the inside man on this one." He turned to Sabrina. "Would you mind if we borrowed Haunter?"  
  
Sabrina nodded. "Of course." She put her fingers to her lips and let loose a piercing, shrill whistle. Haunter shot up from under the floorboards, laughing, cackling at the misfortune of the people he had been teasing and terrorizing on the floor below. "Haunter, aid them in their search." Haunter looked disappointed at the prospect of actual work, but nodded its disconjoined head in acceptance.  
  
Brock rubbed his eyes. He had pulled all-nighters before, but never three in a row. He wondered how long it would be before he dropped. It would have to wait until they found Ash.  
* * *  
  
Misty shivered as a cold breeze kicked up, assaulting her poor, bare legs. They couldn't even afford the time for a quick clothes change, not with Sabrina's cryptic time limit. It didn't help that Team Rocket enjoyed dwelling in the dreariest parts of Saffron City, or that the weather had taken a turn for the worse. She pulled Ash's league jacket tighter around her narrow shoulders, burying herself in the spacious coat. The feel of the old, familiar garb assaulted her with memories best left buried at a time like this; the smell of it, the feel of Ash's original eight Indigo badges on the left, the cool leather exterior...she had missed it. It had been ages since he had let her wear it. Not since...well, since their break-up, so many years ago.  
  
Brock leaned up against the Rocket Gaming Corner's dingy wall, exhausted beyond anything he had ever felt. "You hear anything yet?" he asked her. His own jacket helped keep out the cold, but not enough for his tastes. He much preferred the tropical paradise that dominated the rest of the island. Professor Ivy's lab, with its warm sun and sandy beaches, seemed a million miles away and a thousand years ago. He brought his mind back to the present, listing for Ash and keeping his eyes peeled for Haunter. This was the fifth place in twenty-four hours that they had checked out. Ash and Haunter did most of the searching, since they could infiltrate the hideouts better than any spy could hope to do. He looked at Graveler's Pokéball in his hand; it was getting close to feeding time for his team. Truth be told, he could use a rest himself.  
  
"There!" Misty grabbed his shoulder excitedly, jolting him out of his exhausted stupor. He spotted Haunter flying out of the side of the building about ten yards away, looping above the ground in erratic circles. "Anything?" Misty called out. She knew Ash was with Haunter, even if she couldn't see him.  
  
*Nada. * Ash called back. He floated down parallel to the ground, his voice stinging with defeat. *We searched it from top to bottom, and found zilch. *  
  
Brock groaned, leaning on his wobbling knees. "How many places are there that you could hide a body?"  
  
*Plenty. * He gave his friends an appraising eye. *You guys look totally beat. *  
  
"Some of us don't have the luxury of already being dead." Misty snapped. She instantly regretted it; Ash didn't need this right now. He certainly didn't need to be reminded of what was at stake.  
  
*C'mon, let's find a motel. You need rest. * He floated back into the air, intent on finding a suitable place where his companions could recuperate.  
  
"What we need to do is find your body." Brock said hoarsely. He stood up straight with some effort. "Rest can wait."  
  
*Guess again. * Ash folded his arms. *If...When we do find my body, we'll have to fight to get it back. You won't do much good passing out on the floor while Team Rocket is pounding you. *  
  
Rather than argue the point, Brock and Misty gave in; he was right, after all. They began trudging down the street, looking for a place to stay for the night. After an hour of weary marching, they found a seedy hotel where they could rest. Ash and Haunter stayed totally silent and out of sight so as not to scare the less-than-friendly clerk at the check-in desk.  
  
Their second story rooms looked even worse than the building's exterior; holes in the walls, holes in the ceiling, and what at a first glance appeared to be beige carpeting. Brock lifted up the garbage can to reveal snowy white carpeting under the bin's base. "It doesn't get much worse than this." He tossed the can back onto the floor, disgusted.  
  
"Can we afford two rooms?" Misty asked sleepily.  
  
Brock gave her a wink. "Doesn't matter. Close as we are, it just wouldn't be 'proper', now would it?" he smirked, using one of her favorite phrases. He stumbled as he exited the room. "G'night, Misty. See you bright and early." He gave her a small wave before he closed the door behind him. That left Misty with Pikachu and a ghostly Ash in the room.  
  
*Uh, guess I'd better clear out too. * He said uneasily. Truth be told, he wasn't feeling totally up to snuff himself. Could ghosts tire? *C'mon, Pikachu, let's give Misty a little privacy."  
  
"No, wait..." Misty started. Pikachu halted in its exodus of the room, pointed ears perking.  
  
*Yeah? *  
  
"Stay with me," she thought. What came out of her mouth was, "Would you mind if Pikachu stayed with me tonight?" She got Togepi out of its Pokéball, holding the egg child close to her chest. "I wouldn't ask, but..."  
  
Ash smiled. *Pikachu, feel like bunking in the lady's den tonight? * Pikachu gave him a claws-up, grinning. The only thing he liked better than Ash was Misty, though Brock came in a close third. *Keep an eye on her for me, Pikachu. * He phased through the wall into Brock's adjoining room.  
  
Misty looked from Togepi to Pikachu, then back to Togepi. She caught a glance of herself in the filthy mirror resting on the desk. "Stay with me..." she rolled the words around in her mouth. Then she snorted and rolled her eyes, slipping out of her shorts and getting ready for bed.  
She crawled under the sheets, drawing the none-too-clean blanket up to her chin. "Stay with me? What am I, some reject from a cheap romance novel." She squeezed her eyes shut, snuggling close to Togepi and the borrowed Pikachu.  
* * *  
  
Ash leaned back in the chair, thanking providence for small favors; at least he didn't fall through. Apparently, ghosts couldn't sleep. He looked with envy in his eyes over at Brock. The lucky so-and-so had fallen asleep before he had ever hit the mattress. Sleep...he had never really thought about how good it felt. Just lying there, feeling yourself drifting off, totally relaxed. Ash gave his spectral stomach a glance; he had died hungry, apparently. *I could go for a cheeseburger right about now... *  
  
Several muffled noises caught his attention; something was moving about in Misty's room. He floated up out of the chair and stuck his head through the wall. *Misty? You okay? *  
  
She was standing on the far side of the room, staring out the window. Thank heavens he hadn't walked in on her when she was "indecent." She would have murdered him, ghost or no ghost. But no, she was dressed in her customary shorts and blue T-shirt. Misty glanced back, not really expecting to see anything. "I guess I wasn't as tired as I thought..." she said, turning back to gaze at the moonlit city. "Did I wake you? I tried to be quiet." She looked back at Pikachu and Togepi, who were snuggled together sound asleep.  
  
*Huh? Oh, no, I wasn't sleeping. Believe me, the eternal rest of the deceased isn't as restful as you might believe. * He assured her. Ash couldn't help but stare; he had forgotten what she looked like in the moonlight. *You, however, are very much alive. You should be in bed. *  
  
"I've had a lot on my mind lately." she said absentmindedly. Her eyes lifted to the moon itself. It was breathtaking, and the sky was perfectly clear. "After all, how could I ever get a new bike out of you if you aren't around to pay for it?" She shuddered at her own self-made cliché; she rarely shoved her long destroyed bike into Ash's face nowadays. Years ago, she had used it for an excuse to travel with him, used it to hide the fact...but that was ancient history. "All of this is still a little confusing."  
  
He rubbed his chin, thinking. *Should I? * He thought. Then he grinned; no reason not to. *I have a sure-fire way to clear your head, Misty. *  
  
"What's that?" she didn't turn around.  
  
*Do you trust me? *  
  
"I suppose soooooaaaAAAAAAAA!" She screamed as a pair of icy fingers wrapped around her waist. She knew it was Ash; it almost would have been scarier if it had been a strange ghost instead.  
  
*Come for a ride with me, Misty! * He lifted her off of the ground and flew her out the open window, soaring with her high above the streets. She was still screaming bloody murder, waving her arms and legs frantically about. *Will you just calm down? * He said testily, *I'm more likely to drop you if you carry on like that. * That calmed her down, though she was still frightened beyond all rational thought.  
  
"Ash Ketchum, you set me down this instant, or so help me I'll-" Her threat was cut off by her own scream as Ash suddenly dipped, taking her a mere five feet above the street. People watched in awe as a young teenage girl flew among the cars and trucks, which screeched and swerved to avoid the unusual UFO. "Oh God oh God oh God oh God, I'm gonna die! I hate you, Ash Ketchum, I hate you!"  
  
*Well, stop hating me and hold onto your hat! * She didn't have time to point out that he was the one with the hat before they began another steep ascent, taking them past the tall skyscrapers and spiraling towers of Saffron. Misty squeezed her eyes shut, praying that this was all some sort of hideous nightmare. Ash stopped his joyous laughing and caught a glance of her expression. *What's the matter? *  
  
"What's the matter?" She screamed, "What's the matter??? I'm being carried a dead fifteen year old with a history of clumsiness at an altitude that would give Superman nosebleeds, and you ask me what's the matter?" She was becoming nauseous with fear, but clamped down tight on her stomach; vomit from this high could probably kill someone below. "I'm afraid, that's what's the matter!"  
  
*Well, stop being afraid, and just look. * Ash's voice was kindly.  
  
"Why?" She spat, opening her eyes, "There's nothing to see at this height-" She stopped in mid-sentence.  
  
It was beautiful; the plains seemed to roll on for an eternity in each direction, like a dark sea of mystery. Below them, Saffron was a plethora of tiny lights, winking and shining in the darkness, a beacon in the vast black expanse. Above them, the stars shined on, putting the city to a terrible shame. The inky blue-blackness was filled with millions upon millions of them, sparkling like jewels of the heavens. The moon hung like a silvery disk, watching over the Earth and casting a pale glow over everything below. Misty's breath was taken away as she took it all in, gazing at the majestic glory of a midnight Saffron from high above. "Oh wow..." She forced down another scream of surprise when she felt icy fingers wrap around her wrist, tugging gently on her arm. "W-what are you doing?" Her voice cracked and shook; she would have preferred if Ash were using both of his arms to hold onto her.  
  
*Just checking the time. * His echoing voice seemed right next to her ear, whispering softly into the furthest reaches of her psyche. "If I'm right, the best part's about to come."  
  
"What could be better than-" Misty stopped breathless again as a small sliver of light appeared over the horizon. At first, it was almost unnoticeable; a mere slice of luminescence across the endless field of black. Then it grew, casting an aurora of hues across the clouds, the ground...everything. The sun rose further over the edge of beyond, slowly bringing the cold, dark world below them to life. "Ash...it's beautiful."  
  
*Yeah... * he murmured softly, *Beautiful. *  
* * *  
  
Brock tried rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he laced his hiking boots up. He was still tired after a full six hours of sleep, but not exhausted. He would make it. Raising his wrist to his squinted eyes, he checked to see how much time was left; another fifteen hours on Sabrina's cryptic warning. That didn't leave them a whole lot of time. A soft rapping came upon his hotel door. He straightened, feeling several sharp cracks as his spinal chord shifted back into place. "I hate motel beds." he moaned. "Come in!" he called. He wasn't too surprised when Misty walked in. She looked about as bad as he felt; her hair was a mess, her clothes were dirty and rumpled, and her eyes had bags beneath them. She carried Togepi in her weary arms. He frowned, curious; even through her obvious fatigue, she was extremely focused, intent on something.  
  
"Brock, I need to talk to you." Her tone was serious as she set Togepi down on the desk and folded her arms. Her eyes drooped for a split second as she leaned against the wall. "It's about Ash...and me..." She sighed, frustrated. "I just don't know."  
  
He scratched his head, sitting down on the edge of his disarrayed bed. "Why not take it from the top?"  
  
She heaved another sigh. "Okay, here goes..." But she didn't speak, not immediately. Her feet shuffled against the cheap carpeting as she began to pace the room nervously. She stopped by the window, looking down on the world, already bustling with the prospects of a fresh day. Then she broke down, cradling her face as she began to sob softly. "Oh, Brock, I'm so afraid."  
  
He rushed over to her and grabbed her up in a hug. He began to gently stroke her hair, shushing her. "It's okay. What are you afraid of?"  
  
Misty sniffed, pulling away from him. "I'm afraid that...that I might still be in love with Ash."  
* * *  
  
It was Brock's turn to heave a sigh; it had been a half-hour, and Misty was only just now starting to calm down. "So, let me get this straight; you think you might be in love with Ash, but you don't know for sure, and you don't want him to know?"  
  
She nodded, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "Telling him now would only complicate things. Besides," she sniffed, "I'm not even sure if it's true. I mean, it could just be that I'm afraid we'll lose him, and there'll be so much that we never really talked about." She stood up, composing herself. "In any case, I'm not even sure myself." She shuddered, bringing back memories long buried. "He still...irritates me on so many different levels. He's like my brother...I think. Until I figure this out, you can't tell him."  
  
"Okay." Brock said casually, waving her off.  
  
"I mean it, Brock Stone! If you tell him, you won't live to see the expression on his face!" Her cracking voice didn't have the seriousness that she wished it to convey, but the point was taken.  
  
He raised his hands defensively, trying very hard not to chuckle. "Okay, okay, I swear on my own Boulderbadge," he opened his jacket, revealing the solid-gold Gym Leader's version of the Pewter City badge, "That I will not tell Ash Ketchum of anything that went on in this room." He grinned. "Satisfied?"  
  
She nodded. "And Brock? Thanks for listening."  
  
He patted her on the shoulder. "Anytime, Misty. Anytime."  
  
Misty nodded, collecting Togepi from its perch on the desk and exiting the room. Brock sat in silence for a moment, soaking up all that Misty had told him. It certainly changed things...or did it? He had seen Misty hide her feelings for Ash before; unless you knew what to look for, and unless you looked very, 'very' hard, you couldn't tell the difference.  
  
*Brock? * Ash's reverberating voice startled the Rock Master. He jumped a foot into the air, yelping. *Take it easy, it's just me. *  
  
"Ash!" Brock tried to force his heart rate back down before it exploded. "Were you listening in on me and Misty?"  
  
*No, I would never do that! * Ash cried indignantly. *I waited until Misty left so I could talk to you. *  
  
"Oh." Brock sat down, relieved. "What's up, Ghastly?"  
  
Ash decided to ignore the dig, getting right to the heart of the matter. *I have a problem... * he confessed, sounding uneasy. *I think...I think I'm still in love with Misty! * he forced out.  
  
Brock blinked. "You don't say..."  
* * *  
  
"Checking out, Miss?" the clerk asked with as little enthusiasm as Misty ever thought possible, leaning on the desk and absentmindedly stroking a pen in the air.  
  
Misty nodded. "Yes, please. Rooms one-two-four and one-two-five." As the clerk brought up the bill, Misty happened to glance out the glass doors leading out to the street. It was filled with a multitude of people, all going about their own business. One particular pair caught her eye; an old man, dressed in a ridiculously hideous overcoat and baggy drawstring pants lugging a large brown box, and a gray haired woman, similarly dressed and similarly laden. The fact that they were old wasn't particularly conspicuous, nor their age.  
  
It was the Meowth strutting beside them on its hind legs that concerned Misty.  
  
As luck would have it, the old man dropped his box onto his foot with a loud crash. He hopped around in pain while his lady friend shouted angrily at him, cuffing him upside the head. She seemed rather spry for a woman of her years. A little too spry, if one was to ask Misty. The Mistress of Water turned, seeing Brock walking down the steps. He seemed to be talking to himself; it must've been Ash.  
  
"Yes, Ash, on my Boulderbadge, okay?" he said to 'no one'. He saw Misty and immediately clammed up. "We all set?" he asked her.  
  
She nodded, then pointed out towards the street. "And I think we might just have stumbled onto a lead." The pair of 'elderly' box-laden travelers had just collected themselves, and were beginning to walk down the street again. Brock rubbed his chin thoughtfully, giving the couple a good hard look. Misty sighed with impatience, tugging on his arm. "C'mon, it's gotta be them!"  
  
"I don't know..." Brock drawled, "We should make sure before we waste time f-"  
  
Before he could finish, the old man stepped on the Meowth's front paw. The Meowth began screaming in agony, cursing the old man, his family, his dead grandmother and apparently, his childhood goldfish friend, Zippy. Ash's eyes narrowed as he floated in the air to see over Brock's shoulder; there were plenty of suspicious old people in the world, but only one talking cat. *Let's roll. * He said flatly, floating through the door. As Brock and Misty followed (opting to open the door rather than go through the glass as Ash had), Ash put his fingers to his pale blue lips and gave a shrill, echoing whistle. Haunter shot out from the motel's second level. The Ghost Pokémon shot past the front desk, scaring the clerk from her boredom.  
  
"Haunta-hont-hont!" Haunter cackled as he shot through the wall.  
  
The clerk just shook her head sadly, once again stroking the pen through the air out of boredom. "Mother was right; I should have moved to Fuchsia." She blew a lock of hair out of her face.  
* * *  
  
Misty crept down the dark corridor of the abandoned warehouse as quietly as she could. She glanced back, barely spotting Brock in the inky blackness. Pikachu sat on her shoulder, setting her just slightly off balance. She could still hear Team Rocket in the distance. 'Why do we have to carry all this hospital equipment?' 'Fool, The Boss wants the brat alive, at least for now.' She could almost feel a great weight lift from her shoulders; Ash's body was still alive. There was still hope. She waved Brock forward, hardly daring to breathe. They had followed Team Rocket this far without being discovered, they couldn't risk being found out when they were so close.  
  
Brock tiptoed forward, silent as a Rattata. He frowned, seeing a light at the end of the corridor. Though it probably wasn't that bright, it was blinding in a place like this. He wished that Haunter was still here, but the Ghost Pokémon had pulled one of its famous disappearing acts en route. Apparently, following Team Rocket back to their lair of evil wasn't entertaining enough for the gaseous cloud of poison. Closer and closer they crept. The light grew brighter, and the voices grew louder.  
  
Meowth sat on Ash's hat-covered head, absently swatting the comatose teen's nose. "The sooner da Boss gets here, da better. Dis body's startin' to creep me out." He began pacing on Ash's chest, nearly knocking the respirator off of the boy's face. Misty shuddered with a mixture of worry and anger.  
  
James sat in a hastily built chair, cobbled together from old crates. He was snacking on a banana, chewing as loudly as possible. "Well," he said around a mouthful of fruit, "It's kind of nice to see the kid like this. After all, he can't send us off into the stratosphere if he's half-dead." He finished the banana and tossed the peel onto Ash with a smirk. "Maybe this time we'll actually win."  
  
Jessie knocked him out of his chair with her trademark paper fan. "Quiet, fool!" she yowled, "Of course we'll win. Even we aren't incompetent enough to lose to a corpse!" She glared at Ash's body, then stormed over to it. Meowth yelped and scrambled to get out of the battlezone before Jessie went off. "You, twerp, have cost us a lot!" She drove her fist into his stomach, momentarily disrupting his labored breathing. "But now, it's payback time."  
  
Brock frowned grimly from his hiding spot in the doorway. It seemed like Team Rocket was holding all of the cards; Ash's body, an easily-defendable position, and probably twelve more hours sleep then either he or Misty had. He looked back to Misty, who seemed to share his assessment of the situation. "So now what? I hadn't actually planned beyond this point." Pikachu, perched on Misty's shoulder, 'pika'ed his agreement.  
  
Ash's voice was grim. He obviously didn't like the way Team Rocket was handling his 'property'. *We improvise. *  
* * *  
  
Meowth again sat on Ash's head, keeping a watch. Jessie and James were both fast asleep, dreaming of victories, rewards and absolute power. He sighed in boredom, staring down at Ash's pale face. "Ya know, kid, you're not so bad when you ain't humiliating us. I'm almost sorry to see ya like this." He shrugged his feline shoulders. "Still, if I hafta choose between you or me, I'll pick me."  
  
Without warning, a box flew out of the darkened doorway and crashed onto the floor. Meowth yelped and jumped, startled. The room was totally silent for several moments. He looked over to his human counterparts, but they were still snoozing. "W-who's there?" Meowth's voice trembled as he extended his claws. "I'm warnin' you..."  
  
*Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh. * An eerie voice moaned. Out from the hall stepped a white-clad figure. It was glowing and sparking, casting the room in a demonic amber aura. The 'ghost' moved slowly into the room, groaning and wailing, shivering and shaking. Meowth was terrified as he backed up against the wall.  
  
"W-w-who are you?" the Pokémon warbled.  
  
*I am the ghost of...uh...* the voice stopped, stuck. Then it started over again. *I am a ghost! Ohhhh! * The pale specter seemed to grow, as did its golden aura. *You have angered me, and disturbed my eternal rest! * The voice was terrible, hauntingly low and reverberating. *Leave this boy be, vile creature. You will not deter him from his destiny, now or evermore! Be gone from this place and never return! *  
  
"Y-y-y-yeah, sure!" Meowth swallowed. "Meow!" He ran over to Jessie and James, shaking them, trying to wake them up. "Get up get up get up get up!" He screamed, planting his claws into them. They awoke with a yowl, clutching the fresh puncture marks.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Jessie yelled, smacking Meowth across the face. She rubbed her posterior indignantly as she rose to her feet. "Don't you know it's rude to wake a lady..." she trailed off as she saw the glowing specter looming over them in the center of the small room. "From her beauty sleep..." her voice flattened with terror, quivering like an Oddish in the breeze.  
  
James, as always, was totally oblivious to the apparent danger. He walked towards the door, yawning heavily. He grabbed the edge of the 'ghost', tugging on the downy white sheet. "I'm going to take my nap where you two can't shout and scream." he trudged on, dragging the gleaming cloth behind him. It fell off of the phantom, revealing a very distressed Brock with a Pikachu sitting atop his head, producing the special effects for their performance.  
  
Jessie and Meowth flared with anger, fire boiling in their eyes. "YOU!" the Female half of the disturbed duo spat. James turned around, doing a double take as he saw what had transpired. Jessie, on the other hand, wasn't content to stand and stare. She ripped a Pokéball from her jacket and threw it at their feet. "Arbok, squeeze these ghastly imposters until their heads pop off!" Her cobra Pokémon reformed from the energy released when the ball split, hissing and spitting at Brock and his small rodent generator.   
  
"No harm done, right?" the Rock Master grinned and chuckled pathetically, tugging at his collar. Facing down a giant snake wasn't high on his list of fun things to do in a warehouse. "We'll just collect that half-dead body over there and get out of your way." He began edging slowly towards Ash's body, but was stopped by Arbok. The purplish, hissing coil of muscle and scales snapped at him with its dagger-like fangs.  
  
Ash, unseen to all, slapped a hand over his face. *Okay, time for plan B. * He looked over to Misty, who stood next to him in the doorway. *Got any ideas for a plan B? *  
  
"Your ghost trick 'was' plan B, Ash." she gave the situation a hard look, lost in thought.  
  
*What was plan A? *  
  
She grinned. "We storm in here and start smashing things." she quipped, pulling out a Pokéball.  
  
Ash nodded. *That's a solid plan. I like it, let's go with it. * He floated out into the room.  
  
Misty waited a half moment, making sure Ash had finished, then threw her Pokéball. "Seadra, let's mix it up!" Misty's Seadra was released; a small Dragon type, Seadra was a seahorse with spiked wings, blue armor-plated skin and a curled tail that it hopped on for dry-land transportation. Her water dragon screeched as it hobbled off into the small room, eager for a battle.  
  
James was ready to call out his Weezing to help finish off the spiky-haired lout when he saw the Water Mistress's spiny monster making a beeline for him. Before he could do anything, it crashed into him. "Aaaaaaugh!!!" James screamed like a woman; the spines hurt even more than he thought they would. He backpedaled, arms pinwheeling wildly until he smashed into a wall. He looked down at his jacket sleeve, where the Seadra had punctured him. It was only a small wound, really; barely enough to stain the pristine white of his Team Rocket uniform. Still, any blood was too much for James. He fainted dead away.  
  
Seadra squealed in delight, hopping on its single appendage. Then it screamed, as Arbok sunk its great fangs into the seahorse's armored scales. "Duuu!" Seadra moaned as Arbok's poison polluted its body. It sank to the floor weakly, trying desperately without success to hold on to consciousness. Misty yelled in panic as her Pokémon went down, unthinkingly revealing herself to Team Rocket. Jessie latched onto her arm and put her in a chokehold.  
  
"I don't know how you found us, you skinny little twerp, but you'll be sorry you did." She sneered in delight seeing Misty squirm like this. Arbok had Brock locked in a Wrap attack, crushing the poor trainer's ribs like a vise. "How sweet, coming to save your little boyfriend." That only got Misty angrier; she began thrashing about, trying to break out of Jessie's iron grip. Jessie held fast, not giving the Water master an inch.  
  
Meowth jabbed a claw into Misty's leg thoughtlessly. "Say, which wonnaya did that nifty ghost voice?" he asked in his strong Brooklyn accent. "That was pretty good. Some'n I would have thought of, even."  
  
*That was me. * a haunting voice echoed menacingly though the warehouse.  
  
Meowth shivered, looking over at Ash's body. "T-that sounds like the twerp..." his voice shook as he pointed to the Indigo Champ's fallen shell. "B-b-but he's..."  
  
*Dead? As if that would stop me from taking you three down. * Ash laughed. He picked up a small wooden fragment from the ground. To the living, it seemed as if the chunk of pine had picked itself up off the floor. Jessie was speechless, but she didn't loosen her grip. Ash tossed the wood at Meowth, pegging the freakish cat in the head. *You had your shot, and now it's my turn. Pikachu! *  
  
Pikachu leapt from its hiding spot behind the crates. "Pika!" it yelled, curling its tiny claws into fists and sparking at the cheeks.  
  
*Pikachu, Thunder Snake! *  
  
Pikachu went down on all fours, keeping low to the ground. He powered up for a Thunderbolt, but didn't shoot the energy as he normally did. Instead, he released it into the ground. It formed a thick, rope-like beam, traveling at an amazing speed along the floor until it reached Jessie. The electricity wrapped around her leg, sending energy coursing through her body while leaving Misty relatively unharmed. Misty took the opportunity to break away before Jessie's hair stopped smoking.  
  
Jessie sank to her knees, her face twitching and spasming. "It isn't fair..." she moaned, "He beats us even after we've killed him."  
  
*Pikachu, Quick Attack! * Pikachu next sped towards Arbok, who held Brock as a prisoner. The Thunder Rodent hurtled towards the violet snake at unbelievable speed, then smashed into its head with tremendous kinetic energy. Arbok's cranium snapped back, smashing into a tower of crates situated behind it. Brock shrugged off the limp form of the snake, grateful to be free. There were better ways to gain a smaller waistline.  
  
*Okay Pikachu, let's finish 'em off! * Ash yelled. Some of the enthusiasm had left his voice, though. He looked down at his hands; they seemed to glow brighter then they had before. He shook it off. There would be plenty of time to figure this out when they 'had' the time. *Thunder Blast! *  
  
Pikachu drew upon all of his power, giving off an electrical aura several meters in diameter. James, who had finally recovered from seeing his own blood, chose this moment to regain consciousness. He saw the familiar sight of a blazing Pikachu greeting his bleary eyes.  
  
"Oh, phooey." was all he could say.  
  
Pikachu's power reached critical mass, and he exploded with a thousand streams of thunder, all aimed at Team Rocket. The entire room was lit up in a dazzling blast of amber light, blinding everyone for an instant. When Misty and Brock were able to see again, they watched as the Rocket triumvirate sailed off into the starscape.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" The trio winked out of sight in a flash.  
  
Ash turned to his friends. *You guys okay? * He tried not to let some of the fatigue slip into his voice, with only partial success.  
  
Misty and Brock both nodded. Standing, Brock glanced over at Ash's body. "Misty, find a phone. Go call the hospital, tell them where we are, and tell them to get an ambulance over here." He rubbed his ribs, wincing slightly. "It'll be the fastest way to get the body back to the hospital."  
* * *  
  
Brock opened the doors of the ambulance before the vehicle even came to a complete stop in the ER's drop-off area. He jumped out, with Misty and a trio of nurses not far behind him. "C'mon, let's move it!" He helped them pull Ash's body, strapped to a gurney, out of the ambulance. "We need to get this thing to a room stat!"  
  
Sabrina jogged up, just arrived on the scene. Haunter, now reunited with its trainer, trailed behind her shoulder. "I came as soon as I could." She said, falling into a fast pace beside Brock. "Haunter is ready, as am I." Then she frowned. "Where is Ash?"  
  
*Right here. * a ghostly Ash hopped out of the Ambulance, no longer floating. *Oh, man, I don't feel so good. * He again looked down at himself. His aura was glowing brighter than ever now. It almost hurt to look at himself. *I think something's wrong. *  
  
"Your spirit and body may be separating." Sabrina stated grimly.  
  
Misty shouted indignantly, "You said he had three days! We still have," she quickly checked her watch, "ten hours!"  
  
Sabrina shrugged. "I've been known to be wrong." It was all Misty could do to keep herself from attacking the Psychic trainer, which almost certainly would have resulted in personal injury on the behalf of the Water Master.  
  
*Misty, take it easy. * Ash tried to calm her down as he clutched his stomach. *Everything'll be okay. Let's go. * He began to follow the living into the hospital, where they would set up one of the emergency ward's rooms for the transference.  
  
Along the way, the pain became too great for Ash. He fell to his knees, groaning. Misty turned around, concern growing in her saucer-like eyes. "Ash? Ash!" She could hear his pain, almost feel it.  
  
*I'm okay, just keep going. * He insisted.  
  
"But-"  
  
*Go! * Misty hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then she glanced back, seeing Brock and the others moving quickly out of sight with Ash's body. That got her moving; she set off at almost a run, slipping in between patients and doctors alike.  
  
Ash looked on, relieved. Then he grunted, as the pain grew worse. His head was throbbing, as if something inside his head was attempting to bash its way out. He brought his hand up to his face, then froze in horror. Blue electricity splayed across his hand, dancing and flashing with a brilliant agony. In fact, the electricity covered his entire being, sending agony into every part of him. He sank to the floor, unable to move, unable to think, unable to speak.  
* * *  
  
Misty tapped her foot with impatience, looked at her watch, and then began tapping again. The dim light of the ER room didn't help any; Sabrina had turned the lights out and placed burning candles about the chamber, giving the place a spooky glow. "Something's wrong, he should have been here by now!" her voice was panicky.  
  
"There isn't much we can do now except wait." Brock tried to calm her down, but truthfully he was as upset as she was. "Just relax."  
  
"Screw that!" She viciously grabbed onto Haunter's free-floating hand and dragged him out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Sabrina shook her head sadly. Brock could only wait by Ash's side, hoping beyond hope that everything somehow turned out okay.  
* * *  
  
How long had he been here? Days? Months? Minutes? It was all relative to Ash Ketchum, the world's only 'living' ghost. His body was wracked with the pain of the blue electricity, lighting his skin like a neon sign and filling him with agony and despair. His vision had gone hazy, and he began to hear voices. Then something filled his vision...or rather, someone. He couldn't see clearly, but it gleamed with a brilliant white aura that would have surely made his human eyes tear.  
  
The figure reached down, gently touching his forehead. Suddenly, his vision was crystal clear. Though the blue agony remained, it was somewhat lessened. He blinked, trying to capture a good view of...of what? It was a woman; she was stunningly beautiful, with flowing black hair and glowing jade eyes that seemed to gently probe the very being of his soul. She was clad in a flowing white gown that did little to hide her flawless figure. Everything about her seemed to float with ease, unaffected by anything around her. She smiled down at Ash as a mother would smile at a child. "Fear not," her voice was soft and filled with compassion, "Your time has not come. You have much yet to do, Disciple."  
  
*Disciple...what? * Ash murmured, awestruck. He tried to move, but still could not. Was he dreaming? Was this the Angel of Death? Was it...God?  
  
"The Armageddon is approaching. You must avert it." Her eyes filled with a quiet sadness, as if she could already see the agony of the path ahead of him. "You have many lessons to learn, and alliances yet to forge. The road is difficult. You cannot leave so early in the game."  
  
*Game? What game? * He asked her, but she had already begun to leave. *Wait! What did you mean, 'Armageddon?' And what does it have to do with me? * But she was gone, and the pain had once again resumed. He once again descended into delirium, consumed with pain.  
* * *  
  
Misty sprinted down the hall, racing after Haunter. For a dead Pokémon, it could move surprisingly fast. She skidded as the pair made a sharp turn down the way they had come from the ambulance. "Haunter, do you see him?"  
  
"Haunta! Haunta-hont-haunta-onta!" Haunter cackled. Misty desperately hoped that it meant 'yes'. If time was running out before, it was almost certainly closing in on the final mark now. Finally, Haunter stopped in a deserted corridor. He hovered over a single spot, pointing downward and yelling. "Haunta haunta haunta!"  
  
"Haunter, can you see him?" Haunter nodded, again pointing down. Misty, of course, saw nothing, but she had little choice but to trust the trickster Pokémon. "Okay, pick him up, and let's go." She folded her arms, expecting Haunter to reach down and grab the invisible Ash. Haunter hesitated nervously, afraid to touch Ash; it looked like someone had hooked the ghost up to some kind of lethal generator. Misty began screaming with impatience, "Haunter, quit fooling around and PICK HIM UP!"  
  
Haunter reached down, but drew his hand back with a yelp of pain. The boy's 'skin' burned, and the power dancing across him was enormously dangerous. Haunter again tried to pick him up, and was again shocked for his efforts. It turned to Misty apologetically, shaking its vaporous head. "Haunta."  
  
"You can't? Something's wrong?" Misty could only guess, but she knew that Haunter wasn't playing any games. The pain registering on its face was real. She looked down at where Ash was...where he should have been...thinking desperately. It was all over now. There was nothing she could do.  
  
Or was there?  
  
"Haunter," she barked orders to the Ghost type, "Come with me. We don't have much time." She again grabbed Haunter's hand and began running as fast as she could, looking for an empty room. "God help me if this doesn't work." was the only thing she said.  
* * *  
  
This was it...he could feel it. His limbs were going numb, his vision was blackening out, and he was pretty sure that hallucination was setting in; either that, or the hospital needed to invest in walls that 'wouldn't' melt. He craned his neck upward to try and see something besides the ceiling. Maybe that white-clad angel would come back and save him. Maybe it was just a dream. It certainly felt real enough. Especially the pain. That was the worst of it, by far.  
  
*Ash! * He blinked. Now he was positive that he was hallucinating. It sounded like Misty's voice, but that was impossible; she couldn't know where he was, she couldn't see him. He rested his head on the floor once more, waiting for the end. That's all it was, just a hallucination.   
  
*Ash, you idiot, don't just lie there! * Suddenly, Misty's face was hanging above his, shouting angrily with that comfortable familiarity that he had almost grown to love. *Get of your pale, spectral butt and back into your pale, fleshy butt this instant, or I'll kick both of them from here to the Orange Islands! *  
  
Ash blinked, not so sure of the image's insubstantiality any more. *Misty? * She appeared different to him, somehow. *You look kind of pale... * he murmured in his delirium of pain.  
  
Misty reached down, grabbing his glowing jacket. *I didn't die just to see you die again, Ketchum. * She growled, forcing herself to ignore the blinding agony in her hands. She managed to wrap both her arms around Ash, and floated into the air. * Come on, Haunter! * She called out to the Ghost Pokémon. Obediently, Haunter floated behind her as she phased through the ceiling into the floor above them.  
  
After going through several rooms, they made it back to the one where Ash's body was set up. Brock, Sabrina and the doctors all jumped as they saw Haunter enter through the wall. Naturally (or rather, 'unnaturally'), they didn't see Misty with Ash. As quickly as she could, Misty dumped Ash's soul out beside his body. *Haunter, do your reverse Dream Eater! * She shouted.  
  
Brock's jaw dropped a half-foot. "Misty?" he gasped, "You're...dead?"  
  
*Temporary situation. * Misty said. *Haunter, Dream Eater, now! *  
  
Haunter began moaning, glowing a bright red. Misty gasped as Ash too took on a crimson aura, floating up into the air. The whole thing had a sort of grim beauty to it. Ash rose up into the air, then hovered over his body. Haunter was visibly straining with the effort as he slowly lowered Ash's soul down, placing it back where it belonged. Without warning, a psychic charge traveled up the cords of the life support machines, causing them to beep wildly, then to short out with a puff of smoke and sparks. Ash's body jumped up, as if someone had shocked it, then fell back down to its previous state. Misty flew into the air, and out through the wall. If she didn't get back to her body soon, who knows what could happen to it? Haunter followed, prepared to help her.  
* * *  
  
Misty, now fully alive once more, burst into the room. "Ash!" Her shout was one of hope, but the scene didn't give her much of that. Brock's head was bowed down low, his face full of defeat and bitterness. Actual tears were pouring out of his squints. Misty couldn't recall ever seeing Brock cry before. Pikachu sat on Ash's lifeless head, openly sobbing and wailing. Sabrina stood off to the side with Haunter, trying to maintain her composure and still seem apologetic. Most of the doctors stood by the bed, shaking their heads sadly and giving comments like "such a shame," and "knew it wouldn't work." One of the doctors had the decency to actually confront her, though he did it as calmly and quietly as possible.  
  
"I'm sorry." It was a common enough opening line for doctors. He had, unfortunately, been given numerous opportunities to practice it. It never made it any easier. "We all hoped...when the equipment shorted out, we thought that maybe..." His hands dropped in defeat. "There isn't anything we can do at this point...he's gone."  
  
Misty's hope shattered. Her whole body felt cold, and she could feel her heart dropping inside of her chest. "Gone." she whispered. She walked slowly over to Ash's body, now and forevermore without life. "No. It won't end like this. It can't." Her voice was hard as steel. Tears began welling up in her glassy blue eyes.  
  
Brock put a hand on her shoulder, sniffing. "Misty, I know...but he's gone. He isn't-"  
  
"NO!" she screamed, viciously throwing Brock's tender hand aside. She grabbed Ash by the front of the hospital gown and began shaking the lifeless shell violently, crying and screaming. Pikachu was forced to jump off, both surprised and scared at her sudden outburst. "Wake up, for God's sake, wake up!" Her tears flowed like rivers, only hinting at the pain she felt inside. "If you don't come back this instant, I'm going to kill you Ash Ketchum!"  
  
Brock again put his hand on her shoulder, this time more firmly. "Misty." His tone was strong, despite his own tears running down his chiseled cheeks. "Misty, please."  
  
She dropped Ash back down onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh God, please God no." She sunk down to her knees, laying her head on Ash's chest. She couldn't speak, she couldn't mourn...all she could do was cry.  
  
The doctors began filing out of the room. It was best to leave the family and friends of the deceased a certain amount of space, at least until they had come to terms with the death. Brock picked Pikachu up off of the ground, hugging the electric mouse as they cried together. Sabrina walked up hesitantly to stand next to Misty. For a moment, she merely stood there, gazing at Ash's serene face. Finally, she spoke, "He was strong. Incredibly so." Her voice was sad, filled with remorse and understanding. "His spirit was one of the most powerful I have ever encountered. There will be many years before the world sees another like him." She looked at both Brock and Misty. "Many years, before another like either of you." With that, she began to follow the doctors out of the room. Haunter took one last look at Ash, then floated after his trainer.  
  
Misty swallowed, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobbing. She laid her head back down on Ash's chest, moaning. "Oh, Ash..."  
  
"Misty..."  
  
Misty grew totally silent, not even daring to breathe. She blinked away her tears, raising her head slowly off of Ash. Shaking, she turned her eyes towards Ash's face, forcing herself to look. Did she dare hope?  
  
Ash gazed back at her with warm, smiling eyes, partially hidden beneath a red and white cap and a face full of matted black hair. His skin was deathly pale, making the 'Z' birthmarks under his eyes stand out like dark flares. He gave her a weak grin. "You're getting my shirt all wet." He made a large point of brushing the excess water off of his chest, groaning as he sat up.  
  
"ASH!" Misty threw her arms around his neck, squeezing as hard as she could, trying to convince herself that it wasn't a dream. "Oh my God, you're alive!" Brock and Pikachu both stared, too amazed to believe it. Then they shouted with glee, running over to embrace the trainer in their own hugs.  
  
Ash grunted, laughing beneath the tangle of arms and claws. "I won't be if you guys keep crushing me like this." His voice was filled with fatigue, but he was more or less fine. The doctors, upon Misty's scream of delight, had done a U-turn and scrambled back into the room. They began shoving Ash's friends out of the way and checking him over in a hundred different places. Sabrina smiled from the doorframe, then exited quietly down the hall.  
  
"He is strong, that one." the Gym Leader mused. Her eyes glowed with psychic power, enveloping herself and Haunter in a burgundy light. "We shall see if he is strong enough to fulfill his destiny...the Armageddon awaits." She and Haunter vanished in a teleport, leaving only a vanishing haze of lavender smoke in their wake.  
* * *  
  
Brock entered the room with a pair of silver trays in his arms. A large grin adorned his face as he called out, "Rise and shine, people, we have recuperation to start and a road to recovery to travel." Pikachu ran up to his leg, tugging on his trouser cuff and shushing him. He blinked at the tiny yellow mouse, then looked over at the bed. Ash was sleeping soundly, totally exhausted from the past three days. If anyone deserved a long rest, it was him. Personally, Brock had gotten a full twelve hours before he had sneaked into the Nurse's breakroom to whip up a breakfast. Then he saw Misty, fast asleep as well. Her head was resting right next to Ash's hip, her lips pulled up in a secret smile. Their hands were linked, holding tightly onto one another.  
  
Brock shook his head sardonically, pulling up a chair and crunching on a piece of bacon. Those two were hopeless; he loved her, but he wasn't sure and he was afraid to tell her 'lest it destroy their friendship. She loved him, but she wasn't sure either, and was deathly afraid that he wouldn't love her. Things were definitely going to get worse before they got better. He chuckled, swallowing a mouthful of bacon. And the worst part of it all; he couldn't tell either of them what the other was thinking! Once he took an oath on his Boulderbadge, he didn't dare go back on it. If their bickering (which was almost certain to get worse) didn't make him go insane, carrying the secret inside of him would.  
  
He looked over to Pikachu, who was slurping down ketchup from a bottle that Brock had brought especially for it. A sly smile slowly blossomed across Brock's lips as a realization formed in his head. He borrowed the ketchup bottle from Pikachu, putting some on his toast. "Say, Pikachu..." he started nonchalantly as he spread the red sauce on his bread, "You want to hear something kind of funny?"  
  
End  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #6  
Dexteria!  
  
--Quiet Hindsight--  
Before anyone points it out; yes, Team Rocket *could* hear Ash in the second warehouse scene. And I know, Sabrina said "Only those with an emotional link or psychic abilities are able to hear the departed." I like to think that Team Rocket and Ash have an understanding...at least until Ash sends them hurtling into the upper atmosphere. Even enemies can be friends, in a sense.  



	6. Dexteria!

=Author's Note=  
Okay, I know this one is kind of short, and it's a really goofy premise. With all the hard-hitting drama I'm about to pump into the series, I thought my audience (all nine of you) could use a little comedy break. If you feel like complaining about this idiotic installment in the BadgeQuest saga, e-mail me straight away. :)  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not owned by me. Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.  
  
BadgeQuest #6  
Dexteria!  
  
"Ha ha ha!" Shane's laughter echoed from his high perch atop the mountainous throne. The bubbling lava below his feet cast a satanic glow across his chiseled features. He stared down at the three interlopers. They had made it past his warm-up trainers with a fair amount of ease, but now the real game would begin. He stood and jabbed his finger towards them. "You dare challenge me? I am the Master of Flame!" He pulled out his badge, a small golden torch with a bright, glassy flame. "If you desire the Pyrobadge, you must defeat me. Tell me your name, so I may proclaim your failure across the land." He sneered.  
  
One of the three stepped forward. He wore a battered red and white cap tilted backwards on his head. He handed his heavy Indigo League jacket to a lanky, redheaded girl and turned back to Shane. "The name's Ash Ketchum. You have something I want." He lifted his finger and pointed calmly at the badge that Shane held in his grip. "I intend on collecting it." A small, yellow Pikachu bounded up from behind and leapt up onto his shoulder.  
  
Shane's eyebrows shot up in amazement. This trainer wasn't like the others; he was confident, unimpressed by the demonic surroundings. This one wouldn't be so easy to intimidate. "Let the match begin." He jumped from his throne onto a stone slab floating atop the lava. "A three-on-three match?" Ash nodded in agreement. "Very well." Shane pulled out a trio of Pokéballs, expanding the first of them to its full softball size then tossing it out into the ring. "Rapidash, I choose you!" The ball spit out a mass of bright white energy that collected into the fiery stallion, Rapidash. The flaming horse stomped and snorted, pawing the ground.  
  
Ash rubbed his jaw and pulled out a small, red, flat object from his pocket. It was only about the size of a large calculator, or a palm-top computer. He flipped it open and brought it online, pointing it at the Rapidash. Checking the data it displayed on the screen, he pulled a Pokéball of his own off of his belt, expanding it. "Let's do it, Wartortle!" he yelled, tossing the sphere.  
  
Out sprang Wartortle, his first-string Water type. The turtle Pokémon possessed a large feathery tail, and comically sized rudder-like ears. It leered at Rapidash with its golden brown eyes, itching for a fight. Rapidash stumbled back a few steps, instinctively afraid of the overwhelming elemental advantage this newcomer had. It soon overcame those fears, though, neighing at the turtle venomously.  
  
"Rapidash, Fire Spin!" With Water types, it was important that you not waste a second, so Shane jumped right into the thick of things. Rapidash instantly responded, spewing out a string of flame that soon formed a twisting, whirling vortex. The raging inferno sped towards Wartortle.  
  
The device in Ash's hand beeped, feeding him new data and statistics. He nodded once, then ordered, "Wartortle, Withdraw now!" Wartortle drew its arms, legs, tail and head back into its dark brown shell, falling to the rocky surface of the gym's floor with a clatter. The swirling vortex passed over the shell, leaving a trail of charred soot in its path. Wartortle emerged from its shell relatively unscathed, popping back up to its feet with enthusiasm. It stuck its long red tongue out at Rapidash, infuriating the horse.  
  
Shane was scowling now. The boy had trained his Wartortle well. "Rapidash, Flamethrower!"  
  
"Wartortle, Bubblebeam!" Ash cut in on the end of Shane's command. Wartortle drew in a large breath of steaming air, then blew out a large column of silvery bubbles at Rapidash. Before the Fire type could dodge, the bubbles struck their mark and drove the horse off of its hooves, sending it crashing back towards the other end of the ring. It slid to a stop at Shane's feet and did not get back up.  
  
Shane scowled, recalling his Rapidash. This would require more power. He pulled out the second of his triumvirate. "Ninetails, victory shall come from you!" From the Pokéball came a large, snowy-white fox. A plumage of cream colored feathers erupted from its hindquarters, swaying with each movement the Pokémon took. It cried out, howling at Wartortle.  
  
Ash again looked down at the red device. From its scans he could see that the amount of temperature produced by Ninetails was powerful enough to form a heat lens. That meant that it was too powerful for a Water type. Recalling Wartortle meant that he couldn't use it again, according to League rules. Still, if the turtle fainted because its attacks were useless, it would be the same story. "Wartortle, return!" A bright red beam shot from the Pokéball's controls, reconfiguring Wartortle into an energy state, then drawing the Pokémon back into the containment unit for easy storage and travel convenience. He then drew another sphere from his belt. As he expanded it, he turned back to his companions; a tall, well-built young man with wild, unkempt hair and the slim, attractive redhead holding his jacket. He gave them a wink, then tossed the ball. "Charizard, go!" The Pokéball released Charizard, Ash's own Fire type; the large, orange-red dragon stood a towering seven feet tall, not including its thick, flaming tail. It roared, stomping out into the ring with a fearsome glare in its blazing red eyes. It had never been totally obedient, and probably never would be, but it had formed an understanding with Ash.  
  
"Charizard, Slash!" Before Ninetails could use any of its overwhelming 'firepower', Charizard leapt into the air. It swooped, bearing down on the firefox with its jagged claws and slashing into Ninetails' tender flesh. Ninetails rolled to the floor, whimpering. It had greater elemental abilities, but was no match for Charizard's superior strength.  
  
Shane recalled Ninetails, really sweating now. The third Pokéball was fully expanded, resting comfortably in the palm of his hand. He was down to his last play, his trump card. Then he grinned, regaining his confidence. There was a reason this Pokémon was his trump card; it was unbeatable. It would crush this boy easily! He tossed the ball out into the center of the ring. It split on its unseen hinge, releasing the energy inside. The white haze reformed into a huge dragon of fire, a Charizard even larger than Ash's. It roared, spewing flames all the way to the distant ceiling above.  
  
The red device in Ash's hand beeped, calling his attention to its screen. He frowned, then nodded slowly. Behind him, his large, squinty-eyed companion watched the match with his arms folded across his chest, his expression unreadable. The redhead was wringing her hands, obvious worry flowing from her face in waves. Ash quickly recalled Charizard. He, too, was now down to only one Pokémon, even though none of his had fainted; one chance left. The red device beeped again, drawing his focus back to the monitor. He looked over at the electric mouse Pokémon on his shoulder. "Pikachu, you're on." Pikachu nodded, giving him a claws-up, then scampered out into the middle of the ring.  
  
Shane laughed as his Charizard began beating its leathery wings, ascending into the muggy air. It roared at Pikachu, growling and puffing smoke from its nostrils. "Charizard is a Towering Inferno! He's an invincible mountain of strength! He's-"  
  
"A flying type." Ash smirked.  
  
Shane blinked, looking up at Charizard. A flying type. Which was weak against...  
  
Pikachu powered up, sparking and glowing with an amber aura of pure, surging power. "Chuuuuu!" A bright bolt of lightning leapt up from Pikachu, piercing the wavering air and slicing into the Charizard's orangish flesh. The fire dragon roared in agony, falling like a Golem dropped by a Fearow, diving into the lava headfirst. Shane gaped in horror as his strongest Pokémon floated to the top of the lava, face down in the liquid fire. "No!"  
  
"Oh yeah!" Ash shouted, reveling in his victory. He gave Shane his own personal cliché, a pair of fingers held up in a 'V'. "No one beats Ketchum!" His friends were jumping up and down with excitement on the sidelines. They were all cheering; Ash, his Pikachu, his companions...even the small red box.  
* * *  
  
Giovanni gazed at the screen with silent fury, watching the recording of Ash and company celebrating their latest victory. He pivoted in his overstuffed armchair, stroking his Persian while marveling at the vast wealth contained in this one room alone. Priceless vases, solid-gold statues, beautiful artwork...it was a fraction of his fortune; he could lose an entire building of personal objects, money, even Pokémon, and not miss it for a second. Team Rocket provided him with wealth and power, power beyond anything any other man had ever experienced. But it wasn't enough; it was never enough. He glared at the trio standing on the other side of his desk quietly, studing them. One of them, a tall, beautiful woman with a shaft of crimson red hair, blossoming in the purity of her youth, stood nervously and fiddled with her gloved hands. Her partner, a blue-haired whiny wretch, stared down at his boots in shame. Giovanni's gaze shifted downward until it settled on his former pet, a Meowth who possessed an ability that almost no other known Pokémon had; the ability to speak. This cute parlor trick had amused him at first, but soon became annoying. The beast never knew when to shut up. Consequently, he had placed it with these washouts and let them roam free, hardly bothering to check up on them at all. It had been a disastrous mistake; one, thankfully, that could be corrected. "Jessie! James! Meowth!" he barked.  
  
"Yes boss?" Their tones were servile, shaking with the fear of unemployment.  
  
He gestured with his free hand at the screen, the image frozen on the Ketchum boy. His other hand continued to stroke the Persian. "Tell me what you see."  
  
Meowth made the mistake of speaking out. "Dat's the Twerp."  
  
"And what is he doing?" Giovanni asked slowly.  
  
Jessie thought about it for a moment. "This?" She made a 'V' with her fingers.  
Giovanni slammed his hand down on his marble-top desk, scaring the other occupants of the room, including his Persian. "HE IS WINNING!" his face became red, and a vein on his forehead bulged out painfully. Taking a deep breath, the leader of Team Rocket relaxed, leaning back in his seat. "And do you know why?"  
  
"Because he's better than that Gym Leader?" James took a wild stab in the dark.  
  
"No." Giovanni touched a hidden control under his desk, refocusing the image. It zoomed in on Ketchum's hand, the pixels slowly compiling and coming into focus. Once the image became sharp, you could clearly see the device that Ash held in his hand; his Pokédex.  
  
"This," Giovanni began, "Is the reason the boy can defeat us so easily." He scowled, staring hard at the picture of the device. "This 'Pokédex.' It is a translator, a communications multitool, a Pokémon database capable of tactical analysis. It is an edge." His grim demeanor once again shifted to the incompetent triumvirate standing before him. "It is an edge that allows him to beat us. It is an edge we do not possess. That will change." He turned away. "Jessie. James. Meowth. You will acquire this Pokédex-this 'Dexter'-and bring him to me."  
  
They saluted him. "When do we start, Boss?" James warbled.  
  
Giovanni smiled. "Right now." He pressed another control under his desk. The floor gave away underneath the unfortunate Team Rocket, revealing a sprawling landscape a thousand feet below. They plummeted, screaming out their favorite catch phrase.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
Lucky for them, they had been wearing parachutes. They 'hit the silk' and floated gently down, a pleasant change from their usual plummeting. Giovanni smirked as the hatch closed and air pressure returned to the room. He gazed out the window as his private jet soared on towards its destination. "Soon," he thought, "Very soon, the world will be mine." He began to chuckle, which soon expanded into full-blown megalomaniac supervillian laughter. "All MINE! Hahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!"  
* * *  
  
Brock's brow creased with concentration, sweat beading on his forehead. His free hand had a slight shake to it as he raised it up. He wiped his brow, squinting. Ash stood on tiptoe, peering over his shoulder. The entire Pokémon Center seemed to grow quiet. Ash's face was dead serious. "Okay Brock," he told his friend, "This is it. If you pull this off, you'll be a hero. They'll sing songs about you in that place Vikings go when they die. If you blow it, it's the end of everything." He patted his friend on the back. "Don't choke." Pikachu sat atop Ash's hat, peering down with mild interest. It yawned and scratched its cheek.  
  
Brock nodded, looking down at Dexter. The device sat calmly in his hands. If Brock didn't know better, he would swear that the machine was grinning at him. "Well?" the Pokédex asked smugly.  
  
"Hit me." The digitized deck of cards on Dexter's screen sent a single car shooting from one end to where Brock's other cards lay. The instant it stopped moving it 'flipped over', revealing an Ace.  
  
Brock grinned; the Ace, coupled with his four and five, gave him twenty. "I'll stay." he told Dexter.  
  
Dexter beeped. "Player shows twenty." His own hand was revealed; a pair of fours, a two, and an Ace. "Dealer shows twenty-one. You lose!" Brock moaned in dismay as his electronic cash counter went down to zero.   
  
"How could I lose? I was showing twenty, that's almost impossible to beat!" He grumbled, smacking himself on the forehead.  
  
Ash grinned at Brock's dismay. "Why do you think I stopped playing electronic Blackjack with Dexter? He cheats."  
  
Dexter was indignant. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous!" While   
Brock wasn't looking, he added an extra hundred dollars to his own score. "You're both just sore losers, that's all."  
Ash shook his head and pulled his new badge, the Pyrobadge, out of his pocket. "That makes fifteen new badges. I am the man!" He grinned broadly, gazing at the badge with quiet joy.  
  
"Yeah, the lucky man." Misty surprised him from behind, snatching the badge out of his hand. She ran off, laughing, while Ash dashed off after her. Pikachu was hot on his heels, scolding the pair. People leapt out of the way to avoid the lanky redhead and her raven-haired pursuer. "Can't catch me, League 'Chump'!" Her laughter rang like a bell. Ash gritted his teeth and tried to catch up, but Misty's legs were longer than his; she could easily outrun him.  
  
Team Rocket sat across the room, wearing one of their typical, pathetic disguises and sipping coffee as they watched the duo run around like a pair of Kindergartners. James sputtered around his long, stringy stick-on beard, pushing his round-brimmed hat back on his head. "Jessie, these disguises stink! I'm not even Jewish!"  
  
Jessie rolled her eyes, pulling her own beard out from between her lips. "I'll bet a 'real' Rabbi doesn't whine nearly as much." she sputtered. Her eyes swept lazily over the room, until they landed on the twerp's brawny companion. It seemed as if he was talking to his hand, until she saw the glint of polished red flash from his palm. She nudged James, trying to pull his attention away from Ash and Misty. "James, look over there. The bigger twerp, that 'Brick' guy or something; he has the Pokédex."  
  
James nodded. "Now all we need to do is find some way to get it." He put his chin to his fist, trying to think. His fingers snapped. "Maybe we can trick it out of him!"  
  
Jessie frowned, shaking her head. "No. That one isn't quite as gullible as the boy, or his girlfriend." She began cracking her knuckles. "We need something else."  
  
Meowth sat down by their feet, dressed in similar garb. He scratched uselessly at his own bearded chin. "Son of a Schmuck! Dis thing is driving me bonkers!" The freakish cat continued to claw at his scrub of fake hair, staring at Brock while Jessie and James began formulating elaborate plans to steal the device. The brawny Pokémon breeder seemed intent on the device, until a gorgeous young nurse strutted past him. His face turned a bright red, and his squinted eyes became glazed over. The Rock Master set the Pokédex down and chased after the vivacious vixen, almost floating with the delight of the chase. Meowth blinked, then looked back across the room; Ash had gotten a bear hug around Misty, locking her into place. She was struggling, elbowing him pretty hard in the ribs, but he refused to relent. The cat turned back to Brock, who had also cornered his quarry. Meowth had to act fast, for the nurse would almost certainly slap her unwanted admirer within minutes. He walked calmly over to where the Pokédex lay, resting on the well-worn cushion of the lobby chair. With a flick of his claw, he switched the power off, then placed the device in the folds of his black jacket.  
  
Jessie and James were still plotting as he made his way back to their seats. "Then, once the smoke grenades blind them, the helicopters arrive..." James finished, folding his arms proudly. "Of course, the helicopters might not make it out of here before the missiles hit, but the trained Dewgongs will be able to stop some of the blast with a Barrier, and after that we can rendezvous with the secret submarine, and-"  
  
"Hey, guys..." Meowth tried to interrupt.  
  
Jessie gave him a look that could freeze a Magmar. "Meowth, can't you see we're in the middle of something very important?" She turned back to James. "What about the fleet of Pidgeys? They'll need some sort of signal to find this place from three vertical miles up."  
  
"That's the beauty of it! When the missiles hit, the Pidgeys will know just where to land."  
  
"Guys-" Meowth tried again.  
  
"But what good will the Pidgeys do once we've blown up the place?" Jessie asked, confused.  
  
"You know how the boy can survive large explosions..." James growled, "The Pidgeys will be there to finish the job!"  
  
"GUYS!!!!" Meowth drove his razor-sharp claws into each of their legs angrily. They yelped, swatting Meowth away.  
  
"What is it, you insufferable insipid infestation?" Jessie spat.  
  
Meowth pulled out the Pokédex. "I've got it." He tossed it onto James's lap, then turned and began picking his way through the crowd.  
  
Jessie and James were frozen with shock, if only momentarily. Jessie was the first to recover, picking up the device. Then her face blossomed into a hidden smile, masked by the Rabbi's beard stuck onto her face. "We did it...we actually did something right for a change." She giggled with girlish glee, clutching the Pokédex and kissing it as if it were her own child. She leapt up, running after Meowth. "Come on, James, we have a calculator to deliver!"  
  
James's mouth was drooping at the corners. "But I liked the idea of using the missiles." he whined, lagging behind.  
* * *  
  
Brock grinned, rubbing the redness in his cheek away. The stinging would probably go away in a moment, it always did. "They always play hard to get." he chuckled to himself. He glanced around the room, finally spotting Ash and Misty continuing their fight across the room.  
  
"Say it!" Misty had Ash's arm twisted painfully up behind his back, pressing his face into one of the cushions while jamming her knee into his back. "Say it, and I'll let you go."  
  
"Never!" The soft seat cover muffled his scream of defiance. Pikachu sat next to his head, watching their match. It knew better than to get between the two when they were fighting, even if it was play fighting. Better to let them get it out of their system. Pikachu knew all-too-well what happened when they didn't.  
  
She grinned maliciously. "I guess you don't like this arm very much, Ashy-boy." She twisted harder, putting more weight on his spine. He groaned. "Well?"  
  
"All right, all right!" he finally gave. She stopped momentarily, leaving an ominous silence hanging in the air. Ash mumbled something inaudibly, then tried half-heartedly to break free again.  
  
"What was that?" Misty's voice dripped with sugar.  
  
"I said, 'I GOT THE CASCADE BADGE OUT OF PITY!' Are you happy now?" He felt like puking after saying it, but better to vomit in disgust than lose an arm to save his pride. He picked up Pikachu and placed the power-packed Pokémon on its precarious perch atop his shoulder.  
  
"Deliriously so." She eased the tension on his arm and backed off, letting him up. He scowled at her as he rubbed his arm. "Forgetting something, 'Mr. Champion'?" She held up his Pyrobadge, which he snatched roughly away. He muttered a few choice phrases that shouldn't be repeated in a PG fanfic, then tucked the badge into his pocket. They heard someone laughing behind them, and turned around in unison.  
  
Brock shook his head, still chuckling. "It's shameless, the way you two flirt." He gave them a wink. "Guess I'll have that other room to myself tonight." He made a few kissing noises at the pair, continuing to chortle.  
  
"Bro-ock!" Their faces flushed beet red as they turned their backs to each other. Both of them were still confused after the incident in Saffron last month.  
  
Then Ash frowned. "Hey Brock, where's Dexter?" He glanced at Brock's empty hand.  
  
Brock stopped laughing. "Should be right here." He patted his vest down, searching for the elusive device. "Okay, relax, I probably left it over by my seat." He looked over his shoulder to where he was before he had been 'distracted'. "Uh, hang on." He walked over there, Ash hot on his heels."  
  
"Brock, where is it?"  
  
"Don't' worry, relax." Brock tried to assure his friend, but he was becoming upset himself. "It probably just fell into the seat cushion." He ran his hand through the crack in the seat, but found nothing. "Uh..."  
  
"Brock, I want my Pokédex!" Ash was barely containing his panic.  
  
Brock ripped the cushion from the chair and tossed it aside, then did the same with the chair next to it. "It was just here a second ago, it couldn't have just gotten up and walked away!"  
* * *  
  
Dexter abruptly came on-line. "You know, I really hate it when you guys turn me off right in the middle of a game." he said flippantly. The cards on his display shuffled. "So, you wanna go another round?" Then his identification scanners kicked in, alarming him with an interesting fact; "Hey, you aren't Brock!"  
  
Giovanni smiled, leaning back in his chair. "No. I am not 'Brock'."  
  
There was a long pause. "So, do you want to play Twenty Questions, or do I get your name as a freebee?"  
  
"I am Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket."  
  
If Dexter had been in possession of a jaw at that moment, it surely would have dropped with shock. "Giovanni? As in 'Giovanni Incorporated', that Giovanni?" He beeped in awe. "You can't be leader of Team Rocket, you're one of the richest men in the world, and one of the most powerful men in the Indigo League."  
  
"How do you think I came across such power?"  
  
Dexter whistled. "Wow, wait until I tell Ash!"  
  
"You won't be doing that."  
  
"Huh? Why not?"  
  
"Because..." Giovanni snickered, "You are mine." He threw his head back and roared with laughter.  
  
"Uh, excuse me." Dexter interrupted Giovanni's 'glee time'. "Sorry to cut in on what was no doubt a wonderful trip into mental instability, but...what are you going to do with me?"  
  
The imposing, broad-shouldered menace leaned forward, fingering the device. "You," he commanded the machine, "Will tell me the secret of Ash Ketchum."  
  
"Secret? What do you mean?"  
  
Giovanni stared at the machine. "I know that you possess the key to the boy's victory. You are the reason he wins. If you are not, then you know what is. I have been watching you for a very long time, through my spies."  
  
"You mean Klink and Dink and their talking tabby?" Dexter asked, "Yeah, we've known about them for a while." He showed Giovanni several videoclips of Jessie, James and Meowth being thrown violently over the horizon. "You need to invest in better espionage."  
  
"Nevertheless, you will tell me his secret."  
  
"Nope." Dexter stated flatly. "I'll never tell."  
  
"And if I were to erase your hard drive?"  
  
"Okay, secrets." Dexter said quickly, bringing up a menu of several different choices, "Let's see...I have embarrassing stories, diary entries, digital photos...what're you in the mood for?"  
  
"Tell me the ultimate secret of Ash Ketchum. The one thing that could destroy him."  
  
Dexter thought about it for a moment. "Stuff that could destroy him, huh? Well, he doesn't like bullets...but that's probably true for most of you humans, huh? Fire...Ice...Drowning...Sharp things, that does it for a lot of people-" Giovanni slammed Dexter down onto the table in a fit of rage. "Hey, watch the casing!"  
  
"Insolent waste of hardware, tell me Ash Ketchum's secret!" He had lost all patience, and was quickly losing control. "Tell me now!"  
  
"Oh that's easy: He's in love with M-"  
  
"Jessie! James! Meowth!" Giovanni barked into his intercom. Without missing a beat, the trio stumbled into his office. "Take this device to the specially equipped room I had set up below deck. I want you to take this thing apart and scan its memory, byte by byte." He tossed the Pokédex to James, who caught it clumsily.  
  
"You can count on us, Boss." They exited the room, listening to the box squawk.  
  
"You'll never make me talk! Never! Never!"  
  
Giovanni sighed as the door snapped shut. He looked down at the surface of his desk, which was now marred with a scratch and a small dent. Dealing with the Ketchum boy was becoming very trying on his nerves...and as such, his empire. The boy represented a small thorn, to be sure, but the thorn had been stabbing into his side for years now. It had disrupted some of the most vital operations this organization had ever seen. This machine represented a chance to wipe him out, permanently. It had to work...it had to.  
* * *  
  
Misty descended the stairs in the Pokémon Center, heading back down to the lobby. She was dressed in her usual pajamas; faded blue sweatpants, an ancient T-shirt that was riddled with stains and holes, and her favorite Psyduck slippers. She cradled Togepi in her left arm and covered a yawn with her right. "Ash?" she mumbled, half-asleep.  
  
Ash was still hunting the lobby, trying to find his precious Pokédex. Even after nine hours, he showed no signs of slowing. He checked and re-checked every single cushion in the lobby. Even the doctors and nurses had gone home for the night, and the Graveyard shift looked more asleep than Ash. There were large black bags under his eyes, and the hair sticking out of his cap was drooping down. Pikachu was fast asleep on one of the couches at the far end, curled up and lost in dreamland. It had long since given up aiding its trainer in his search.  
  
"Ash, go to bed. It's one in the morning." Misty rubbed her eyes with her free hand. Togepi napped in her embrace, trilling softly.  
  
He grunted, barely acknowledging her. "Where is it? I gotta find it."  
  
She groaned, rolling her eyes as she walked towards him. "Look, Brock feels terrible. We both spent an hour looking for it, and another five hours tracking down anyone who might have taken it. It's time to go to bed."  
  
He didn't answer. He checked under another series of chairs, stumbling over his own feet. Fighting off exhaustion, he pushed himself to his hands and knees. "I...gotta find Dexter."  
  
She grabbed his arm and helped him up. "Ash, please, just go to sleep." Her voice was filled with concern. "You're going to drop if you keep this up, and that isn't going to help things." She began dragging him towards the stairs, but he resisted.  
  
"I can't just give up. Dexter's out there, he's helpless..." Ash mumbled, stumbling over to Pikachu. He picked the still-sleeping Pokémon up softly, cradling it in his arms. "I can't just abandon him. I promised that I would never abandon any of my friends." His head drooped. "Even a Pokédex." He shivered, suddenly cold. The stress of the past day had finally caught up with him; his adrenaline had slowed to a trickle. He sat down heavily, unable to stand on his own two feet.  
  
Misty walked over and sat down next to him. "That's fine, but what about you? You think that depriving yourself of sleep and food is going to get Dexter back?" He didn't have an answer. "Come on." She put his arm around her shoulders and stood, lifting the both of them up despite her own fatigue. "Let's get you to bed before you pass out." She gently led him to the stairs. A slight, serene smile played across Ash's lips. "What?"  
  
He glanced down at his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulder. "Nothing." She shrugged and began to haul them up the stairs. There seemed to be many more of them now that she was hauling up a passenger and a pair of pooped Pokémon.  
  
"Jeez Ash, go easy on the cheesecake..."  
* * *  
  
Jessie shivered, drawing her skimpy Team Rocket jacket tighter around her shoulders. The Boss had converted the entire lower deck of his private jet into some sort of crazy computer central. The walls of the narrow space were covered in CPUs the size of refrigerators, separated by the occasional monitor or terminal. It stretched from the far front of the plane all the way to the aft section. James was already sitting down at one of the terminals, plugging Dexter into the vast computer network.  
  
"In a little bit, we'll know everything this talking calculator knows." He cackled.  
  
"Calculator!" Dexter's synthetic voice was filled with offense. "How dare you call me a calculator! Unless you mean one of those SuperComp 791s. Man, I'd love to run files with one of those sweet little-"  
  
"Aw, shut up!" Meowth squawked. He pushed James out of the way and began typing, bringing up the hacking program specially designed for decoding Pokédex data. "Let's just scramble the little Palm Pilot and figure out what makes that kid so great." The screen blinked for a moment, then began displaying line after line of zeroes and ones. Before Meowth could hit another key, the numbers jumped and danced, spraying across the screen. "Access Denied" flashed in bright red letters across the monitor. Meowth growled. "The stupid thing has a security device."  
  
"That's not all, Happy Cat." Dexter said smugly. "I just triple encrypted every single one of my files. You aren't getting one single bit of information out of me."  
  
James picked Meowth up out of the seat and threw the cat aside, reclaiming his spot. "We'll see about that!" He double clicked on a particular file, 'Alpha Infiltration'. The screen flashed red, then displayed a status bar. After a moment, the bar jumped from zero to one percent.  
  
Dexter was straining against the program, but slowly losing. "Hey...no fair."  
  
"Soon, you'll be nothing but a pile of silicon dust!" Jessie cackled, leaning on James's head. Together they laughed, reveling in their victory. After all these years, after all the hardships and frustrations this boy had put them through, it would finally be their turn to win. Then Jessie blinked, looking at the monitor. It had hardly moved at all; two percent, and struggling. "Hey, what's taking so long?"  
  
James's hands danced across the keyboard. "His encryption pattern keeps shifting."  
  
"Well, shift with it."  
  
He frowned. "It's shifting at a rate of three hundred new encryption patterns per second. Our computer is having trouble keeping up with it!" He typed furiously, but the progress meter was moving unbelievably slow. "It'll take at least forty-eight hours, maybe more."  
  
"Bet on it." Dexter said. Still, its own software was being strained to the limit. It could barely keep ahead of this new Rocket supercomputer. The Pokédex hoped Ash would come looking for it...if he even noticed it was missing.  
* * *  
  
Ash sat up with a start. How long had he been sleeping? The trainer rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. "Misty, why'd you let me sleep in? It's bright as day out-" he looked around. This wasn't the hotel room, that was certain; he was flat on his back, lying on a solid white surface. It was cold, but soft. He pushed himself up on his elbows to get a look around. All he could see was a white haze, like a thick, rolling fog that encompassed all of reality. He stood up. "Where am I?" He patted his belt down, but his Pokémon weren't there. "Hey!" He looked around; no Pikachu either. "Well, this is just great. I'd better be dreaming, or someone's going to be eating my fist."  
  
"So filled with aggression. Yet you lack focus."  
  
Ash whirled around at the soft voice's intervention. It was her; the same soft, probing eyes, the same flowing white gown, the same raven black hair, the same serene, beautiful features...it was the woman who had appeared to him in Saffron. She stood behind him, her hands clasped behind her back. She gazed at Ash with the same sad smile. "It's you! Who are you?"  
  
"You are straying from the set path. Your destiny is set; the Armageddon is approaching."  
  
Ash scratched his head. "Yeah, about that whole 'end of the world' thing. I was kind of hoping you could fill me in on some of the details about that."  
  
She began to move towards him, gliding over the soft white surface below them. "You worry about the Tool. Your concern consumes you. You are straying from the path."  
  
"Tool?" Ash was more confused than ever. "You mean Dexter? Of course I'm worried, he's missing!" He turned around, looking for some sort of escape. "Wherever this is, you have to let me out. I need to find Dexter."  
  
"The Dark Mortal has him." Ash looked back, astonished. "His minions are invading the Tool as we speak."  
  
Ash's hands clenched into fists, his face growing red. "Do you think you could maybe, just maybe, speak in a coherent sentence?" He stamped his foot in frustration. "I need details! Where is he, and who has him?"  
  
"The Dark Mortal. The one who will aid the Despised One in his escape." She met her eyes with his, sending a chill down his spine.  
  
"Well, that just makes perfect sense." Ash muttered.  
  
The serene woman laid a hand on Ash's shoulder. He shivered; her hand was colder than ice. "You must forget the Tool. To seek him could lead you astray from the path."  
  
He frowned. "You said 'could'." He looked up at her, still not sure of what to make of all of this. "That means you don't know if it will or not."  
  
She turned away. "The prophecy has been set in motion. Disrupting the path you are now on will only end in sorrow, Disciple." She began to walk away, fading into the white mist.  
  
"Maybe I don't want to be your disciple!" he yelled after her, but she was already gone. "Come back here! I'm not finished! What is it I'm supposed to do? Tell me!!!"  
* * *  
  
Misty pushed her head through the open door, peeking in. Ash was tossing and turning in his sleep, muttering like a psychopath as he twisted to and fro. She shook her head sadly, then pulled back and softly closed the door. She made her way back to the adorning room, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to disturb Brock's call.  
  
Brock looked at the video projection of Professor Oak on the vidphone screen. "Isn't there anything we can do, Professor?" He ran a hand through his chestnut brown hair, which was more haphazard than usual. "I feel terrible about losing it."  
  
The aging Pokémon researcher operated a keyboard somewhere off-screen. "I'm trying, Brock, but Dexter's transponder signal doesn't seem to be operating. Perhaps he was damaged, or perhaps there's some sort of electromagnetic interference cutting the signal off." He stifled a yawn with his palm. "I'll keep trying, but for now there isn't anything you can do. I suggest you try and get some rest. I'll call the instant I find something."  
  
"All right." Brock sighed. "Thank you, Professor Oak." The scientist gave his young friend a small wave, then cut the connection. Brock pivoted in his chair, rubbing his eyes. He saw Misty standing in the doorway. "How is he?" he asked without looking up.  
  
"Sleeping." she said, collapsing on the bed. "I think. I've never seen anyone sleep so fitfully...like he's having a nightmare, only worse."  
  
Her longtime friend only half-heard her. He was staring out the window. "It's all my fault." he kept repeating, "If I had only been more careful."  
  
"It was an accident. How did you know that someone would take it?" she tried to comfort him.  
  
He shook his head. "It's no excuse. That Pokédex has always meant a lot to Ash. It was just as much a part of his team as Pikachu or Bulbasaur, or any of the others."  
  
Misty sighed. Sometimes she felt like traveling with Brock and Ash was like taking care of a couple of ten-year-old boys who had just lost their first Pokémon match. "Get some rest. The Professor'll find Dexter, then we can all get on with our lives." She curled up into the fetal position and dozed off before he could respond.  
  
Brock looked back at his friend, smiling despite himself. Misty was right. She usually was, at least about things like this. She was probably the closest thing to a girlfriend he had ever had. At the rate he was going, she was the closest he would ever have, period. That poor fool Ash didn't know how lucky he was to have her. Brock shook his head, pushing those thoughts out of his mind. Time enough for a girl hunt later; right now, sleep came first, then making this whole fiasco up to Ash. He yawned, crawling into bed. His muscles ached and protested at the movement, quieting once he was lying flat on his stomach. Sleep would definitely come first.  
* * *  
  
Meowth batted a ball of string between his paws. First one way, then the other, then back again. It had gotten monotonous after five minutes, it had blown past 'boring' after three hours had rolled by, and by hour six it was well into the stages of 'despicable'. The progress monitor on the computer screen only read seventeen. The freakish cat moaned.  
  
"Oh, shut up Meowth!" James snarled, sitting upside-down in the computer terminal's chair. He had almost fallen asleep about a dozen times, but Meowth's whining had brought him back to consciousness each time. The blood was rushing to his head, giving him a pounding migraine.  
  
Jessie growled at him, lying flat on her back on the cold metal grating of the deck. "Shut up yourself." Her eyes drilled into the screen from where she lay. "How much longer?"  
  
"At the rate you guys are going, you'll be able to cash in on Team Rocket 401K plans by the time you hack into my files." Dexter quipped from atop the desk.  
  
"Shows how much you know." James sneered, "We don't have a 401K."  
  
Dexter began to formulate a plan inside its processor. It couldn't last forever against this monster program, and its transponder wasn't working. "So, you don't have any sort of plan for your retirement?" James shook his head. "Ah, a gambler. My kind of person."  
  
"Gambler?" Jessie raised her head off the deck, glad that something had finally come along to take her mind off the boredom.  
  
"Sure, a gambler. You're gonna operate on luck once you're out of Team Rocket. Bet you're a real card sharp, too."  
  
James beamed, flipping rightside-up. "I've been known to rig a few decks."  
  
"How about a game?" Dexter brought its Blackjack program out of encryption, activating the execute program and bringing it up on its monitor. "Blackjack's always fun."  
  
"I don't know..." James was a bit wary. "The Boss might not like us playing games on that thing."  
  
Jessie shoved him out of the way. "Fine, then I'll play. Anything is better than staring at that stupid meter." She tapped Dexter's controls, getting a feel for the game. "Okay you over-powered encyclopedia, deal me in." James and Meowth stood behind her, staring intently at the game.  
  
While it electronically doled out the cards, Dexter secretly activated his Internet functions. If he played this just right, his message in a bottle would be found in time. "Okay, sweet lady, the game is Blackjack. Of course, we can't play for nothing, now can we? Strip Poker rules?"  
  
Jessie thought about it for a moment, then pulled of her long, black latex glove. "Fine by me. But if I win, you decrypt more of your files." James's and Meowth's jaws dropped in shock, but they kept quiet.  
  
"Deal." Dexter chuckled to himself. 'If I win', she said. Like that could ever happen.  
* * *  
  
"Ash." Brock gently tapped the trainer on the arm as he slumbered, head tossing on the pillow. "Ash." he tried again. The boy would not wake up. Brock looked over at Pikachu, sitting on his shoulder. "What's his problem?" he asked the electric mouse. Pikachu shrugged. Ash was muttering something in his sleep, incoherent sentences that made no sense whatsoever. "Ash!" Exasperated, Brock reached over and pinched Ash's nose shut.   
  
Ash snorted, struggled, then sat up gasping for air. "W-who? What? Where is she?" His eyes looped around in their sockets, finally coming to rest on Brock and Pikachu. "What is it?"  
  
"Professor Oak just called. He said he had gotten e-mail from Dexter. He's being held on a private plain out at the island's airfield." Brock helped his friend out of bed, tossing him a pair of pants and his jacket.  
"Who took him?" Ash slipped into the pants and threw one arm through his jacket sleeve, struggling with the other. "Why is he at the airfield?"  
  
Brock shrugged. "Oak said something about Team Rocket. He said we'd find Dexter on a private plane owned by Giovanni Industries Incorporated."  
  
Ash froze. "Giovanni?" Why would someone as rich and powerful as Giovanni be involved with Team Rocket? Could he be...  
  
"The Dark Mortal..." Ash murmured. He unfroze, grabbing his hat from the bedpost and sliding it onto his head, turning it one-eighty so the bill faces backwards. "Let's go Pikachu." His Pokémon bounded off of Brock's shoulder and scampered after Ash as he left the room.  
  
"Dark Mortal?" Brock scratched his head. "Hey Ash, wait up!" He ran from the room, trying to catch Ash and gain an explanation.  
* * *  
  
"Twenty. Looks like I win again!"  
  
James groaned. He was sitting on the cold metal deck, clad only in his boxers. Jessie sat barefoot next to him, maintaining her dignity in her black top and skirt. She had let James take her place in the game before her honor as a lady had been besmirched. Dexter still rested on the table, sitting next to a fair-sized stack of neatly folded clothing, gloves and boots. James had tears in his eyes as he reached down.  
  
"Woah there cowboy." Dexter said quickly. Technically (very technically) speaking, Dexter didn't have gender. Still, the thought of seeing James totally nude created a very bad feeling in its CPU. "I want the charm."  
  
Meowth backed away in horror. His paw shot up to his forehead, protecting his beautiful gold charm. "No way. Uh-uh." He whined.  
  
"What, you're backing out on me now?" Dexter said in his most accusing tone. He still needed to buy more time. Where was the Calvary when he needed it? "Figures. Guess Team Rocket isn't at all what I've heard it was."  
  
"Give him the charm." James demanded. He reached for Meowth, pinning the cat's arms. Dexter would have smiled, had he possessed lips; these three were easier to trick than a sixteen-bit processor. "Come on, Meowth, give it up!"  
  
"WHAT IN BLAZES IS GOING ON HERE?" Giovanni stood at the bottom of the circular steps, his face growing red with fury. "Jessie! James! Meowth! What is the meaning of this?" He crossed the room in three steps, rage fueling his speed.  
  
"I-it was just a harmless game, Boss." James stuttered, blood draining from his face. "Just to pass the time."  
  
"We didn't think-" Jessie started.  
  
"No, you didn't think." Giovanni barked coldly, glaring at them. They shrank back from him, cowering. Giovanni shifted his attention to Dexter, sitting next to the articles of clothing. With one motion, he picked the Pokédex up and ripped it from the computer access cord, disconnecting it from the decryption processor. "I grow tired of your tricks and your foolishness, pathetic machine. Tell me what I want to know; how does Ash Ketchum win?"  
  
Dexter remained defiant. "I'll tell you what everyone knows, Evil Boy. Ash trains hard and he never quits."  
  
"It cannot be that simple. Tell me now, or bid farewell to your own consciousness program." Dexter didn't say anything. Giovanni decided to take another approach. "What has the boy done to instill such loyalty into such a weak creature?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Giovanni smiled evilly. Trying to keep quiet, Jessie and James reclaimed their clothes and began to dress. "I could give you power beyond anything you have now. Your programming is sophisticated, complex..." Giovanni told Dexter, "but limited. You lack power. I could give you a CPU the size of a house."  
  
Dexter was shocked. "A house? Really? I mean, NO!"  
  
"Think about it." Giovanni cautioned him. "You would have access to infinite amounts of data...multitasking thousands of functions per second, providing information and tactical analysis to thousands of people at any given moment." Granted, they would have been members of Team Rocket, but Giovanni didn't bother to mention that.  
  
"RAM?" Dexter's voice shivered.  
  
"As much as you want, and more." Giovanni could sense the machine starting to weaken. "All you have to do is give me access to your files...that's all." He held the Pokédex up to his face. "Do we have a deal?"  
  
"I...uh..." Dexter was confused. Should it take the deal? Was Ash really worth giving up all that up? Another offer like this would never come along. Why shouldn't it take it? What did Ash give it that an unbelievably powerful processor couldn't? All it had to do was...  
  
Was betray a friend.  
* * *  
  
"There's the plane." Misty whispered, crouching behind a stack of barrels sitting next to an unloading bay. She looked over at Ash, Brock and Pikachu, squatting in a similar position to avoid being seen. Sneaking into the airfield had been the easy part. Now they just needed to get onto the plane.  
  
"So how do we get in without getting noticed?" Brock posed the question they were all thinking. He looked over at the huge airplane, thinking of ways to infiltrate the craft without being seen.  
  
Ash stood, a grim look splayed across his face. Pikachu 'pika'ed questioningly, looking at its trainer. "We don't." Misty and Brock gave him a curious look, glancing at each other questioningly. "We try the direct approach."  
  
"Asking nicely if they'll give Dexter back?" Misty said sarcastically.  
  
Ash glanced back, expanding a Pokéball in his hand. "Something like that." He drew his arm back and hurled the ball out at the plane. "Articuno, I choose you!"  
  
"Articuno!!!" Brock and Misty were shocked; he hadn't tried using the legendary bird of ice since capturing it. One had to wonder whether or not the avian would turn on its newfound master, much less obey him. But it was too late to turn back; the Pokéball split on its unseen hinge, producing a large mass of glowing energy. In the blink of an eye, the energy coalesced into a titanic winter-blue bird. Articuno, the mythical bird.  
  
Ash clenched his fist, pointing his other hand at the plane. "Articuno, Ice Beam!"   
  
His newest addition to the team glanced back at him, then flew high up into the sky. "Cunewwwwwww." It left a trail of ice crystals sparkling in the twilight as it hovered high above the aircraft. Opening its beak, it began spewing a massive column of freezing blue-white energy. The Ice Beam streaked down towards Giovanni's plane, leaving a trail of condensation in its wake.  
* * *  
  
"Choose now, small device; ultimate power with Team Rocket, or deletion with the boy." Giovanni demanded. He shook the device, waiting for an answer. Dexter's mechanical mind raced, trying to reach a conclusion. Why shouldn't he take this? If Ash was such a great friend, where was he now?  
  
As if on cue, the entire plane shuddered and shook, tossing the occupants around wildly. Giovanni's jaw dropped in horror as one wall of the plane began to turn a bluish hue, radiating with cold. Before he could shout orders to his trio of lackeys, the hull of the plane exploded inward, showering them with shards of steel and iron. The Team Rocket leader shielded his face, feeling his rage welling up within him again. "What is going on?" he growled.  
  
Silhouettes became visible as the dust and debris settled to the floor. Standing below the plane, Ash Ketchum glared up into the 'door' he had made. Brock and Misty were behind him, and a small army of Pokémon behind them; Charizard, Bulbasaur, Wartortle, Pikachu, Staryu and Starmie, Onix, and Graveler. Articuno circled above them, joined by Pidgeot and Golbat. Ash thrust his fist high into the air. "Give me back my Pokédex!" his voice echoed ominously across the open airfield.  
  
Dexter beeped defiantly at Giovanni. "I'm gonna have to decline that generous offer, Rocket Man. Something better just came along."  
  
Jessie leapt down through the jagged crater in the plane, landing on one knee. She growled at her longtime nemesis, pulling out her duet of Pokéballs. "If you want your calculator so badly, come and take it back." the vixen sneered. She tossed the spheres out, releasing Arbok and Lickitung. Her reptilian duo, a gigantic purple snake and an orally endowed, rotund pinkish gecko were reformed from the dazzling energy. "That is, if you can defeat us!"  
  
"Not much chance of that." James called out, mimicking Jessie as he tossed out his own Pokémon. Weezing, his hideous set of gas-filled balloons, and Victreebell, a biological terror with a mean streak, landed next to Jessie's team of pocket monsters. "Bring it on, twerp."  
  
"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie started them off.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation."  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love," they began walking forward, grinning maliciously.  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
  
"Jessie!"  
  
"James!"  
  
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light." Meowth leapt down, getting ready for the big finish.  
  
Giovanni smirked, watching his Team Rocket performing from above. No wonder they always lost. They wasted their time with this drivel. Still, there was something to be said for team spirit. Not much, mind you, but something nonetheless. He shuffled over to the edge of the hole, looking down at the boy. "Here. Catch." He called out, tossing the Pokédex down. It flew straight and fast, streaking towards Ash's head.   
  
The Pokémon trainer caught it a split second before it crashed into his skull. He looked the device over suspiciously. "Are you okay, Dex?" He asked the machine. Flipping it open, he scanned the control surface. Everything seemed okay.  
  
"I think so. They didn't get into anything, don't worry." Dexter reported, happy to be back in friendly hands once more.  
  
Ash smiled. "The only thing I was worried about was you, you stupid machine." He then shifted his attention back to Giovanni, glaring up at him. He still wasn't sure what Giovanni's connection to Team Rocket was. Whatever the link, it made them enemies. It was Team Rocket's move now. "Well?"  
  
"Go." Giovanni's uttering was barely audible from high above. He folded his arms across his massive chest. His smirk grew into an arrogant smile.  
James began to sputter. "Boss, what are you saying? We can get rid of him here and now!"  
  
"We're outnumbered and outgunned." His eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth turning downward. "But there will be another day, Boy. Count on it."  
  
Ash glared at him, then turned around and began walking away. Brock stumbled after him, confused. "Wait a minute," he started, "No fight? No big battle, just 'walk away', and that's it?"  
  
Misty shook her head. "Okay with me." She began following Ash, their Pokémon following suit. Brock looked first to his receding friends, then to the enemy, then back again.  
  
"That's just not how it works!" he cried out, running after them. "Where's the battle?"  
* * *  
  
Dexter sighed. "It's good to be home."  
  
Ash, stretched out on the motel bed, grinned at his mechanical buddy. "Amen to that." He picked up Pikachu and began playing 'Airplane' with him, flying the small rodent around the room while making whooshing sounds. It was Pikachu's favorite game.  
  
Misty shook her head at the two, smiling; age or no age, they would never grow up. She crashed on the bed, landing next to Dexter. "So let me get this straight; the CEO of Giovanni Industries Incorporated is also the leader of Team Rocket?" She scratched her head.  
  
"Yep." Dexter placed a pair of icons on his screen; a Team Rocket 'R', and the GII logo. He drew an equal sign between the pair.  
  
Misty sighed. "So, let me get this straight-"  
  
"Asking the same thing over and over again isn't going to make the answer different." Brock moaned, sprawled out in one of the chairs. He held a Styrofoam cup filled with nearly untouched coffee. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but that's the way it is."  
  
"So now what do we do?" Misty's question prompted Ash to stop his flight of fantasy with Pikachu. He became serious, setting the electric mouse Pokémon on his shoulder.  
  
"We find a way to beat him."  
  
The room became quiet. No one knew quite what to say to Ash's ultimatum. Brock sipped his coffee uneasily as Misty stared up at the ceiling. Finally, Dexter tooted an electronic wake-up call, cutting through the silence. "Hey, anyone for a game of Blackjack?" it asked.  
Brock smiled, climbing out of his seat. "Deal me in."  
  
"Me too." Ash and Pikachu scampered over to the Pokédex, eager for a distraction.  
  
Misty smiled, sauntering over. "You'll have to teach me to play."  
  
Brock grinned at her. "Sure thing. First rule is, you gotta make sure Dexter doesn't cheat."  
  
"Cheat? Me?" Dexter exclaimed indignantly, already stacking the deck against them, "I've never heard of anything so ridiculous!" They laughed together, as only old friends could. It was good to be back together.   
  
End  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #7  
The Master's Ball  
  
-Quiet Hindsight-  
I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. That's about the best I can do to comfort all of you-and by you, I mean the three of you that didn't give up disgustedly after the first three pages-after reading this. I guess it's true; "Dying is easy, Comedy is hard." Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of Pokémon: BadgeQuest  



	7. The Master's Ball

=Author's Note=  
I can't tell you how severely disappointed I was with 'Dexteria'. After I published it, I thought to myself "Cyberwraith, old boy, that really sucked. Start writing better." Well, this is my 'better writing' attempt. Oh, just one helpful hint; when imagining the voice of Gracie, think Fran Drescher from TV's "The Nanny". I hope you enjoy my first AAMRN attempt!  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Pokémon is a registered trademark of Nintendo and Game Freak Inc. I claim to have no ownership of any of them little critters, nor the characters we all know and love. Any resemblance to a real person, dead or alive, is probably a hidden joke within the text and should be summarily be dismissed from any court of law as an attempt of slander because I don't have enough cash to cover the legal fees. Lather, rinse, and repeat.  
  
BadgeQuest #7  
The Master's Ball  
  
**Saturday**  
  
The sun shone brightly over Pallet Bay, casting a warm glow across the cold blue waters. The Magikarp were playing across the ocean, breaking the surface of the sea to wave at the sky and breathe in the fresh air before disappearing once more into the murky depths. Sea Pidgeys trilled and sang, swooping and diving, trying to capture a Water type for a meal. A cool breeze wafted through the air, stirring the trees along the high cliffs on either side of the seaport. The brown vertical sandstone represented a sort of gateway into Pallet Town, a doorway to the sleepy hamlet.  
  
Ash took all of it in, swallowing the landscape with his eyes as he stood on the bow of the freighter. It had been a long eight months of travel and a lot of hard training. His backpack sported eighteen new badges, shining brightly as only new badges could. Pikachu and Togepi were playing at his feet; Pikachu held Togepi up in front of it, the tiny mouse's arms stretched out to their limit. Ash sighed, grinning. It had been a mistake to let Misty take Pikachu to see 'Titanic' eighteen of the twenty times she had gone. Once in a while the effects would crop up; just a month ago, he had caught the electric mouse spitting over the railing of their hotel. He shifted his attention back to the harbor as the ship made its excruciatingly slow approach.   
  
"You're up early." Misty's voice came from behind him unexpectedly. "Whacha thinking about?" She had been standing behind him for several minutes, taking in the view as well. More than one view, in fact. "Or is this just one of those 'quiet pauses of reflection' that heroes sometimes take?"  
  
Ash chuckled. "No heroes here, just me." He turned, leaning against the railing. "It just feels good to get back to the island." He gave his companion the once-over. She was dressed in her usual fashion; a pair of jeans, an oversized T-shirt, her hair drawn back behind her ears, except for that singular lock she kept by her temple. "Guess I'm a little anxious, too."  
  
"Whatever for?" she flashed him her patented sardonic grin, leaning against the rail next to him. "I mean, it'll only be your second-no wait, 'third'-year as returning League Champion." She tilted her head back to look up at the cloudless, clear blue sky. Her grin was still firmly in place. "You'll only have every active member of the Indigo League gunning for you, trying to take you down. And of course, the majority of fans will be watching, waiting for the heroic underdog who takes down the long-standing champ to replace him. Why be anxious about that?"  
  
He gave her a withering glance, which she promptly replied to with a raspberry. Down by their feet, Togepi had grown tired of their 'Titanic' game, and was now running about the deck. Pikachu ran after the dancing egg, trying to catch it before a patch of wet deck caused it to slip and slide overboard. As always, though, Pikachu was merely wasting its time; harm seemed to leap out of Togepi's way, no matter how great the danger. The egg child narrowly avoided running off the ship like a rotund lemming, veering off to the side at the last moment. Pikachu tried too late to skid to a stop before it suffered the fate it was trying to protect Togepi from, and was careening towards the deck's edge. It squeezed its amber eyes shut, screaming "Pikaaaaa! Piiiiikaaaaaa!"  
  
Brock's strong hand scooped the hydroplaning Pikachu before the Pokémon could plunge into a watery grave, lifting it up into his arms. "Pikachu, you goof, you know better than to run on a wet deck." he scolded the yellow thundermouse gently. "You'll set a bad example for Togepi!" Togepi wrapped its small arms around Brock's leg, cooing softly. Pikachu just clung to Brock's vest, heaving and waiting for the adrenaline rush to tone down. Brock simply chuckled, scratching the Pokémon behind its stiff, fear-frozen ears. The tall, dark-skinned young man walked over to his friends, giving the pair a smile. "Man, it'll be great to get some home cooking after all those months of fast food."  
  
Ash nodded. His head was filled with all of the comforts of home; fresh-baked pie, cooling on the windowsill; Mr. Mime, waking him before dawn with a gentle vacuuming of his face; remnants of a huge meal sitting before him as he leans back, barely able to move with his bulging stomach; Misty...  
  
The young trainer blinked. Misty? Where in the world had that come from? It had been happening a lot lately...much too often to be healthy or normal. She would pop into his mind at random, appearing amidst seemingly innocent thoughts. During the middle of a meal, walking through a strange city, jolting him awake in the middle of the night...there seemed no end to the mental tapestry the Mistress of Water was weaving in his head. It was becoming maddening, haunting him, tantalizing him, driving him insane. He pushed himself off of the railing and back onto his feet. "Think I'll freshen up before we hit land." he excused himself, beating a hasty retreat for their cabin.  
  
The instant Ash was out of sight, Misty's shoulder's sagged. She heaved a frustrated sigh, and her eyes swept upward towards Brock questioningly. "Brock, why does he keep avoiding me?" Pain and sadness crept into her voice, noticeable only to those who knew Misty best.  
  
Brock laughed, waving her off. "He's not avoiding you. Don't be silly." Why was Ash avoiding her, anyway? This wasn't like them at all; they hadn't had a fight in days, almost a week! Something was starting to go sour. "You're imagining things." he consoled her. The Rock Master wasn't sure how much longer he could keep quiet. A stupid oath, that was all that was stopping him. Stupid to anyone but him, that is.  
  
Misty turned out to the sea, staring forlornly at the Pallet shoreline. It had happened not to far from here, all those years ago. She could remember that rainy, stormy night down to the smallest detail; his face, his eyes...how mad they had been at each other. She had never felt so angry, so entirely livid at anyone before. She had broken it off with him right there on the beach. It had been the end of their relationship...or was it the beginning? After they had stopped seeing each other, their friendship had become strong, much stronger than it had been before they had become a couple. "Maybe I should just try to get over him." she mused. It wasn't the first time she had thought about it. Nor was it the first time she had mentioned it to Brock. Or the second time. Or even the twenty-fifth time. "It would be a huge mistake to try again, wouldn't it?" Pikachu and Togepi stared up at her, blinking curiously. Togepi didn't quite understand what was going on, but Pikachu did. Like Brock, he had played witness to the strange happenings between Ash and Misty for the past two months.  
  
Brock rolled his slanted eyes, invisible behind his eternal squint. He said the same thing he always said; "I don't know."  
  
"I mean, so what if I have feelings for him?" she continued, ranting as she always did. It was starting to make Brock miserable. "It's not like I haven't hid those feelings before, right? And anyway, he was a lousy boyfriend! Always canceling dates, flirting with other girls, making excuses..." She slumped down. "Do I really miss that?"  
  
"I don't know." Brock's head was pounding. It was the seventh time in as many days that this conversation popped up. Maybe he should just tape-record the phrase 'I don't know' and play it whenever Misty started using him as a sounding board.  
  
She was now into the third phase of the conversation; anger. "That jerk! That stupid, inconsiderate, lousy excuse for a trainer!" she swept a hand down furiously, enraged by her own feelings. "To blazes with him, and to blazes with me! I don't need him anyhow." She sighed, and looked to Brock again. "Do you think he still likes me?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
She ignored him. "I'll bet he doesn't. I'll bet he's just waiting to hook up with some cute, vapid, bubbly blonde beginning trainer. She'll play coy, and ask him cute, stupid questions like 'Oh, how's this Pokyball thing work, Ashy?' or 'Can you help me with my Oddish, Ashy?', and then she'll kiss him on the nose, and they'll get married, and I'll die cold and alone, and they'll bury me at sea, and a Gyarados'll eat my body."  
  
Brock groaned inwardly. If he had to listen to this one more time, he would throw her to the Gyarados himself. Rather than feed her to the fishes, he opted for his usual response. "Don't worry, things will be looking up soon."  
* * *  
  
Things were really looking up as far as Ash Ketchum was concerned. He, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were walking along the well-beaten path towards Pallet Town's world-famous research lab. The Pokémon trainer wanted to check in with his longtime mentor before going back home. Maybe Professor Oak would have something new for him to test, or a new Pokédex upgrade. Something to make Dexter slightly less annoying would be a godsend. He walked with a skip in his step, forgetting about his romantic dilemmas for the moment. It was a beautiful day, and nothing could go wrong.  
  
Professor Oak greeted his young friends from the lab's side entrance, waving and smiling. "Hello, come in, come in!" he smiled, shooing them in the door. Ash was about to return the Professor's greetings, then stopped dead in his tracks. The small living area in the lab, with the coffee table, television, and couches, was filled with dozens and dozens of boxes. Large ones, small ones...they formed walls and walls of brown cardboard that obscured the rest of the room from view.  
  
They were silent with confusion. Brock was the first to recover, "Uh, Professor...what's going on?" He scratched his head in puzzlement, picking up one of the boxes. It wasn't unbearably heavy, but it wasn't exactly featherweight either. "What the heck is in these things?" Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder and began to hop from box to box, trying to see inside the sealed containers.  
  
Before Oak could respond a pair of burly, unkempt deliverymen dressed in orange jumpsuits shoved their way past the Trio, laden with more boxes. "This is the last of them, Professorrrrr..." he checked his clipboard for the name, "Ark. Sign here, please." He handed the clipboard to Oak, who made a point of signing his name large enough for the slow-witted box lugger to interpret. The move failed. "Thanks Mr. Ark. The rest of 'em are out back, like you asked. Have a nice day." He and his companion exited the room, rudely slamming the door behind them.  
  
Oak sighed, turning to Ash, Misty and Brock. "That's right, you haven't heard yet." He flashed a grin at them, winking. "I have a very lovely surprise for you three. It's just what you need after several months of traveling." He began walking around the boxes, leading them towards the far end of the building. "Come with me!"  
  
The aging Professor led them out the other end of the lab, out into the Oak Institute's Pokémon natural reserve. Most of the reserve was filled to capacity with all sorts of Pokémon, constantly being studied by Oak and his assistants. The first few hundred yards, however, had been cleared, and was dotted with more of the strange boxes. Ash was still confused, a feeling he didn't like too well. "Professor, I still don't understand. What's going on?"  
  
"About time you got your worthless butt back on the island, Ash."  
  
Ash whirled around, angered by the insult. He saw the culprit standing behind him, his face hidden by a huge box. However, once the figure set his heavy load down, Ash's rage quickly changed to surprise and joy. "Richie!"  
  
Richie smiled at Ash, tugging on his heavy cap. He wore a pair of coveralls and a teal T-shirt, and looked fatigued. The poor trainer had been hauling boxes for Professor Oak all morning. "So, how's our favorite League Champ been lately?" He gave Ash a wink. He was just as competitive with Ash as Gary was, but he was much nicer about it. The two had been friends ever since their first League Games together, five years ago. "I hear you're trying to get all the badges in the world now." Ash nodded in confirmation, getting a laugh of incredulity from Richie. "Oh man, do you set the bar high, or what?" They laughed together.  
  
"So what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Indigo Stadium by now? The Games are only two weeks away."  
  
"Well, I would, but Professor Oak here asked for my help." he chucked a thumb in the old scientist's direction. "I figured it wouldn't be nice if I left the poor guy to set up for the Master's Ball all by himself."  
  
"Oh, well that-The WHAT?" Ash was horrified. He exchanged glances with Brock, who was feeling an equal terror growing in the pit of his stomach. Not the Master's Ball. Anything but the Master's Ball. They had dodged that bullet this year...hadn't they?  
  
Professor Oak stepped in. "They're holding the Master's Ball a little later this year. Next Thursday, in fact. It was my turn to host it, so I chose the lab." He gazed out at the flat surface of the reserve. "I thought a moonlit dance under the stars would be the perfect thing for all of our tired, hard-working guests. I already answered for each of your RSVPs...Oh yes, I almost forgot; escort is mandatory."  
  
"Oh my God, next Thursday? That's less than a week away!" Ash was really panicking now. He was pacing in circles, becoming more frantic with each passing moment. "We can't go to the Ball! We'll have to un-RSVP! No, it's too late for that. I know! We can have an excuse. No one can dance with a broken leg. Someone break my leg!!!" Pikachu mimicked its trainer, running around wildly.  
  
Brock grabbed Ash by the shoulders, shaking him furiously. "Ash, get a hold of yourself! No one is going to break your leg. I'm just as scared as you are, but let's be reasonable; there's no time to come up with an excuse, and there's no time to find dates." He stood proudly, looking off into the horizon. "There's only one honorable thing left to do."  
  
"Skip town?"  
  
Brock nodded. "Bingo. I'll grab our luggage."  
  
"I'll make the airline reservations."   
  
Misty sighed as Ash and Brock began springing into action. She missed going to the Master's Ball, the League's annual black-tie dance for Gym Leaders and League Masters. Not that she couldn't understand her friends' abhorrence of the social event; Brock could never find a decent date, and was always paired with some awful, awful woman he met in some Pokémon Center. As for Ash...well, he couldn't get a date to save his life, not since she dumped him. Somehow they had always managed to dodge the dance before it happened. This time, though, it seemed the dance had hunted them down.  
  
Ash asked quickly if he could use Professor Oak's videophone, then made a beeline for the door leading back into the lab. Throwing the door open wide, he saw Gary Oak, Professor Oak's irritating grandson and Ash's greatest rival, blocking the exit. Ash, Misty, Brock, Richie-even Pikachu-forced down a sneer of contempt at the sight of the braggart. The corners of Gary's mouth turned upwards with amusement at the sight of the 'Loser Squad'. "Well, if it isn't the soon-to-be-replaced League Champion."  
  
Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't dare tell Gary off right in front of the Professor. "Will you 'please' excuse me? I need to use the telephone."  
  
Gary swaggered through, pushing Ash out of the way. "So, pulling your usual disappearing acts right before the Master's Ball, are you?" He smirked. "It figures. A lame doofus like you can't even get a girl to look at him, much less dance with him."  
  
"I, uh...-" Ash needed to think quickly. He couldn't stand the thought of Gary getting the better of him in anything. "I just came back for the dance a little early. When I heard it was going to be in Pallet Town, I couldn't wait to come home!" It was amazing how quickly the hot air flowed from his mouth. He could have filled Team Rocket's balloon in mere moments!  
  
"You know you have to have a date to get in, right?" Gary ribbed him, folding his skinny arms across his chest as he looked down at Ash. Ash would never forgive his genes for making him shorter than Gary Oak. Of course, beating the self-proclaimed titan of Pokémon at his own game helped to make up for it. "So who's it gonna be?" His eyes flickered towards Misty.  
  
"It's a surprise." Ash retorted. He looked back at Misty and Brock. "We're all going to the dance, right guys?" They stared at him incredulously. "I said 'RIGHT GUYS'?"  
  
"Oh yes." Misty said dully.  
  
"Absolutely." Brock gritted his teeth.  
  
Richie smiled. "I'm gonna head up to Indigo Plateau a little early. Though I'm gonna be sorry I missed this Master's Ball." He winked at Ash. "It sounds like it's gonna be a blast."  
  
Pikachu sighed. Ash was always miserable before a Master's Ball, which meant that he would make everyone else miserable. "Chaaaaaa..."  
* * *  
  
"Mo-om, we're ho-ome!"  
  
Ash, Misty and Brock walked through the front door of the Ketchum residence, setting their luggage down gently to the side. As always, the house seemed to shine with a spotless gleam to it, no doubt thanks to Mr. Mime's tireless and somewhat frantic cleaning methods. As if on cue, the clownish pantomime Pokémon turned the corner of the entryway, running and crying out with joy. "Mime mime mister mime!" It leapt up into Ash's arms joyfully. He returned the greeting, grinning at the foolish Mr. Mime. Pikachu glared jealously at the two from atop Ash's luggage, but only for a moment. He knew Ash wouldn't neglect his first Pokémon...and if he did, a little voltage would quickly cure him of that.  
  
"Mrs. Ketchum?" Brock called out, peering up the stairwell. "Mrs. Ketchum, are you in?"  
  
Ash's mom rounded the corner as Mr. Mime had done a moment ago, smiling. She carried a well-read volume in one hand and a pair of reading glasses in the other. Ash's mother had a face that not even time could weather; ever-smiling, bright, cheerful, with well-sculpted cheekbones and smooth, tanned skin. "What's all the fuss about?" she asked teasingly. "It's almost like you're coming back after forever!" She laughed, setting down her things, then wrapped Ash in a bear hug that threatened to crush the boy. "Oh, I'm so glad you're home." Her voice grew stern, "Though it wouldn't hurt to write me more than once a month, you know!" Ash looked away sheepishly.  
  
Misty cleared her throat. "Thank you for offering to put us up, Mrs. Ketchum." She nodded cordially, truly grateful. Mrs. Ketchum was very different from her own mother; she was understanding, pleasant, and fun to be around. Not that she didn't love her own family, but it always felt like she was coming home when she visited this house, much in the same way Ash felt. "We'll try not to be a bother."  
  
Ash's mom waved her off. "Enough with the politeness, Misty." She hugged Misty, giving her a peck on the cheek. "You know you and Brock are as welcome here as Ash is. Heaven knows you live here almost as much as he does now." She smiled, glancing over at Brock. "Speaking of the little heartbreaker..." she grabbed Brock in a hug next, which he gladly returned. Like Misty, he always enjoyed a chance to visit Mrs. Ketchum. A little mothering now and again never hurt anyone, did it? "My goodness, Brock, how you've grown! I can barely get my arms around you now!"  
  
He blushed. "Yeah, I guess so." he stammered.   
They all laughed, and went into the kitchen to sit down. After a standard round of milk-and-cookies, they began talking for hours about their adventures off of the island. Ash was very careful to leave out some of their more harrowing escapades with Team Rocket so as not to worry his mother. As he neared the end of their compacted version of the past months, his expression became forlorn with a sudden realization. The change of mood didn't escape his mother.  
  
"What's wrong, dear?"  
  
He moaned. "I almost forgot. I have to figure out what I'm going to do about next week!" His face fell into the communal plate of cookies, now empty save for a few crumbs. "Oh man, I can't believe I had to open my big mouth."  
  
"I can't believe it either." Misty cuffed him upside the head with disgust. "Do you have any idea how hard it'll be to find a dress for the Master's Ball on such short notice?" She downed the rest of her milk, unaware of the white mustache that remained on her upper lip.  
  
"About half as hard as it'll be to find a date." Brock slipped into depression, resting his head on the countertop.  
  
Mrs. Ketchum, however, was delighted. "The Master's Ball? 'The' Master's Ball? That's wonderful!" She clapped her hands together excitedly, jumping up and down. "Oh, I just love dances! They're so elegant, and beautiful, and-" she sighed. "Is there anything more wonderful?" She grabbed Ash's arm, tugging on it. "Come on, we've got to start getting ready right away!"  
  
"Mo-om!" he cried out, yanking his arm away. "Calm down, will you? The dance isn't for another week! Besides, only Masters can go. You can't get in unless you have eight badges."  
  
"Or you're a Gym Leader." Misty reminded him, still oblivious to her embarrassing upper lip. Ash rolled his eyes. How was it that she never, not once missed an opportunity to point out when he was wrong or what he had missed?  
  
Ash's mother was unfazed. "Oh, that doesn't matter. Preparation is half the fun! Besides, I'm happy for you!" She sighed, clasping her hands together. "They're so romantic. An enchanting evening made for true love."  
  
Her son leaned back. "It'd probably be even more romantic if any of us had dates." he mumbled. He gave his last chocolate-chip cookie to Pikachu, who sat patiently on the floor waiting for someone to drop something. The tiny Pokémon accepted the cookie with a gleeful 'Pika!' and began greedily cramming it between its tiny, needle-sharp fangs. Next to ketchup, Pikachu adored chocolate.  
  
Mrs. Ketchum waved her son's pessimism off like a fowl odor, laughing lightly. "That's your problem, I'm afraid. I can only do so much, after all." She checked her watch, then looked out the window at the now darkened sky, unlit by a sun that had set hours before. "Oh dear, it's getting late. You three should be off to bed, there's so much to do tomorrow." She began walking off towards her bedroom, ticking various tasks off on her fingers. "We have to get Ash's tuxedo dry cleaned, rent a tux for Brock, find a good hair-and-nail place for Misty, give Pikachu a bath..."  
  
Ash couldn't help but smile. At least one of them was excited. He looked down at Pikachu, who was drowsy after a full stomach of cookies and milk. He picked the Pokémon up, intending to carry it up with him to his room. Misty, however, beat him to the punch, running to the threshold of the stairs. "You get the couch tonight, Ash. I'm crashing in that disaster area you call a room."  
  
Ash grumbled. Then he smiled coyly. "Goodnight. Oh, and Misty?" He scratched his upper lip innocently. She frowned, confused, then touched her own lip, still coated with a dry milk mustache. She wiped it off with her sleeve, then stuck her tongue out at him and ran upstairs. He chuckled, stroking Pikachu on the back. He received a purr of contentment from the yellow rodent in response, giving him another reason to smile.  
  
Brock winked at him. "You still like her, don't you?"  
  
"No!" Ash cried. "No, don't be silly. No. No...Yes." He grumbled again, cursing his own jumbled thoughts. "Okay, there, I said it. Happy now?"  
  
"Not yet." Brock circled around the island counter, arms folded across his chest. He smacked Ash on the forehead. "You haven't figured it out yet?"  
  
"Figured what out?" Ash rubbed his head, kicking Brock in the shin with annoyance.  
  
Brock sighed, disgusted. "Do I have to put things in plain English for you?" Ash continued to stare at him with that confused deer-in-the-headlights look. "Okay, here goes; TAKE-HER-TO-THE-DANCE!"  
  
"What???" Ash was shocked. "Are you nuts? She'd never go for that! I'd have to be crazy or something to ask her to the Master's Ball." He continued to pet Pikachu, trying to avoid Brock's piercing gaze.  
  
"Ash, this is a golden opportunity." He grabbed Ash by the shoulders, trying to get him to realize just how serious he was. "Chances like this don't just walk up and smack you in the face every day."  
  
Ash sighed, thinking about it. His mind raced, weighing the insanely small possibility of a future with Misty against the almost certain humiliation of discovering that she would rather impale herself on a blunt steel rod than go out with him. "Tell you what; I'll ask her if," he held up a finger for emphasis, "IF, I don't have a date by Wednesday, AND if she doesn't have a date by Wednesday. Okay?"  
  
Brock nodded. He walked over to the stairs, cracking his knuckles as his bare feet padded across the tile floor. "Sounds like a plan." He gave Ash a friendly wave and a smile as he started up the stairs. "Night Ash. I'll give your regards to your nice, soft, comfy guest bed." He chuckled with only a hint of malice in his voice, just enough to tease the League Champ. "May visions of angry, abusive red-haired nymphs dance in your head." he misquoted and mangled a line from the old Christmas story.  
  
Ash shook his head. "Good night."  
* * *  
  
**Sunday**  
  
Ash, Misty and Brock strolled lazily down the beaten path towards Pallet Town's market district. Pikachu rode atop Ash's reversed League cap, taking in the beautiful sunshine. There was not a lot they could do today besides window-shop, since most of the stores would be closed until after the weekend. Still, it was worth taking a look around, if only to kill time. Anything was better than staying at the house, waiting and waiting, feeling the anxiety eat away at them.  
  
The silence was starting to get to Misty. Neither Ash nor Brock had said a single word since setting foot outside of the Ketchum residence. Was there something going on that she didn't know about? She decided to end the silence. "It's a lovely day." Brock nodded, grunting his agreement. Ash continued to lead the way, oblivious to her and to the favorable conditions. Misty tried again. "Maybe after we go into town, we can find a nice spot for a picnic. I'm sure your mom would like to come along, Ash." He glanced back at her without slowing down, giving her an indifferent shrug. She could feel the redness climbing into her face as she grew angrier, more frustrated. Maybe he just needed a good ol' fashioned 'whooping'. The idea was sounding better by the minute.  
  
Ash's mind was racing as they rounded the bend, the town's commercial district a quarter mile away. The glimpse of irritation he had caught on Misty's face hadn't gone unnoticed. Was she mad at him? What had he done? It didn't matter right now, he had bigger things to worry about than Ms. Temperamental fuming behind him. Where in God's name was he going to find a date on such short notice? The obvious place to start his search would be with all the girls he knew. How many did he know? One. With that option spent, he went to Choice Two: There must be some girl out there who would want to go to the dance with him. He just had to find her. Maybe it was time his position as champion of Indigo league started to pay off...  
  
"Looks like we're blasting off again!!!" the familiar, but unexpected, cry rang out across the open fields, interrupting both Ash and Misty's silent musings and bringing the teenage trio's attention skyward. A small bead of light twinkled in the clear sky, like a careening comet marring the soft blue with a flash of white as it soared above their heads. As it drew closer it was plain to see that it was no celestial fragment, but instead a triplet of airborne travelers. Their path took a dip back towards the earth as gravity got the better of them, sending them straight into the ground with a terrific crash not ten feet away from where Ash stood.  
  
"That lousy kid! Why couldn't he just hand over his Pokémon like a good little twerp?" James moaned as he hauled his battered carcass out of the newly formed crater. "I feel like a bus just ran over me."  
  
Meowth squawked in pain from underneath the blue-haired imbecile. "How do you think we feel? We're underneath ya!" He desperately clawed at James, trying to get the Rocketeer to move faster. "Get off, get off!"  
  
Jessie's method was much more effective than Meowth's; she simply shoved James up out of the hole, then climbed out after him. "We'll get him next time."  
  
Ash scratched his head with puzzlement. Misty, momentarily forgetting her anger towards her indifferent friend, walked up behind him. "Something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Not really. I've just never seen it in reverse, that's all." Ash said, smiling. Brock chuckled at this, which caught the attention of the Rockets three.  
  
"It's the twerps!" Jessie cried. She leapt to her feet, hand going inside her jacket in search of a Pokéball. "This time, you kids will fry!"  
  
"Uh, Jessie?" James took out his own battered Pokéballs, holding them in front of him. "Our Pokémon were already beaten by the twerp's friend, remember?"  
  
"Friend?" Ash mused, smiling. "You guys must've run into Richie on his way to Indigo Plateau. Looks like he came out on top." Now Misty chuckled along with Brock, unable to help it.  
  
"Ohhhhhhh!" Meowth burned with anger. Still, it wasn't enough to warrant another fight, one that they had absolutely no chance of winning after their last defeat. Sometimes it didn't pay to be the bad guys. "We'll deal with you later!" He grabbed Jessie and James and ran off.  
  
"We're blasting off again...again!"  
* * *  
  
"Will you go out with me?"  
  
The girl looked at Brock with a mixture of disdain and curiosity. Sure, he was handsome enough; a great build, rich tan, and a nice (if bizarre) head of hair. But there was something about him, something she couldn't quite place her finger on...desperation, that was it. He was desperate. He was swimming with the stink of panic. "Um, no. I don't go out with freaky strangers with freaky hair, sorry." She pivoted on her heel and walked off, making sure to tease him with a sway of the hips.  
  
Brock let a breath of frustration escape his lips. That made twenty-three in a row, but who was counting? Their loss. Dauntless, Brock scanned the thin crowds and spotted another potential winner. He nudged Ash, who was standing next to him, cradling Pikachu. The poor power-packed Pokémon was pooped after a day of poking around the shopping centers. "What do you think of her?" he asked Ash.  
  
Ash looked up slowly. He was tired too, and beyond caring at this point. It had been a while since he had been to Pallet Town, and even longer since he had tried to get a date here. Actually, he had never tried to get a date here. It hadn't been an issue before now, and it seemed that all the cute girls already had boyfriends here. It didn't help that he was still annoyingly short. If he had Brock's height and build, he might get somewhere. Apparently, the 'short, dark and handsome' look wasn't in right now. "Yeah, she's okay, I guess."  
  
"You wanna take her, or should I?"  
  
Ash shook his head. "No, you go ahead. Good luck."  
  
Brock grinned, strutting off with just enough swagger in his step to make him wobble. Ash couldn't help but grin for a split second. He had to admit, failure wasn't in Brock vocabulary...at least when it came to women. He wished he could be that confident, but after five failures his own self-assurances were starting to wear thin. Ash hadn't tried to use his position as Indigo Master yet. Truth be told, he would rather win this one as Ash Ketchum; teenage Romeo and not Ash Ketchum; child prodigy. He looked up at Pikachu, clinging to his inverted cap sitting atop his head. "So what'cha think, Pikachu? Think anyone'll want to go out with a guy like me?" Pikachu winked at him, giving him a 'Pika!' and a claw's up. It helped a little bit, but not much. His vision drifted over to Misty, who was looking into the window of a darkened dress shop, long since closed for the weekend.  
  
Misty. The one person...girl...he wanted to ask the most. The one he didn't dare try to ask. He felt like he was thirteen again, trying to ask her out for the very first time. Blast it all, this was the type of thing that was supposed to get easier with age! He was already fifteen, how much older did he need to be?  
* * *  
  
**Monday**  
  
"What do you-"  
  
"I don't care."  
  
Misty scowled, putting her hands on her hips. The dresses she held in either hand slumped to the floor in her momentary lapse of frustration. "Ash, you aren't being very helpful."  
  
Ash groaned, clutching his head. "I don't care. After sixty-three dresses, I can't even *bring* myself to care, okay?" Pikachu was lying on top of his hat, batting at a loose lock of Ash's hair with extreme boredom. It 'Cha'ed softly, moaning.  
  
"It hasn't been sixty-three, you big liar."  
  
"Wanna bet? I've been counting." He cracked his knuckles, trying to avoid her glaring eyes. It didn't work. Somehow it never did.  
  
"I'll ask nicely one more time, Ash Ketchum." Her voice was slow and deadly serious. She held up the one in her left hand; it was a sparkling green, low-cut at the collar and had a slit all the way up the thigh. "This one," She held up the other; an aquamarine beauty with a high collar and a long, flowing skirt that hung by her ankles. "Or this one?"  
  
Ash looked straight into her sea-blue eyes and chose his words carefully, deciding upon the kindest answer he could think of after six hours of shopping for dresses. "I-don't-*care*. Whatever *you* think will be just *fine*, okay?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Useless. Where's Brock?"  
* * *  
  
"So anyway, there'd be a free dinner in it for you also...and you'd get to meet some of the most influential people in the Indigo League!"  
  
The brunette raised an eyebrow at Brock. "So let me get this straight; for twenty bucks, dinner, dancing, and meeting a whole bunch of important people, all I have to do is go out with you?" Brock nodded eagerly. "So, in essence, you'd be paying me off?" Brock nodded a little more slowly this time, wary. "So, I'd be like a prostitute?"  
  
"What? No, no no no no!"   
  
His dissuasions came too late to stop her hand as she slapped him hard, snapping his head around. "Pig." she sniffed as she strutted off, leaving him babbling and apologizing desperately. His hands dropped to his sides, the corners of his mouth taking a similar dip. How many was that? Forty-five? But who was counting, right?  
  
"Brock! Hey Brock!"  
  
Turning around, the Rock Master spotted Ash and Misty running out of one of the clothing stores to meet him at the mall's tiny food court. Pikachu clung to Ash's hat, trying desperately to stay aboard as the young Champ bounced up and down. "Hey guys. What's the good word?"  
  
"The word is 'taste', and I need yours." Misty quipped before Ash could get a word in edgewise. "Happy Boy over here doesn't want to help me pick out a dress anymore, so I thought maybe I could use your excellent judgement." She gave him a sunny smile, clasping her hands together. "Please?" she added in a singsong voice.  
  
Brock frowned. "Can't you see I'm busy trying to get a date." His eyes twitched. "I swear, I'm getting offers left and right here. It's crazy!" He whistled innocently, rocking back and forth on his heels.  
  
The female component of their group rolled her eyes. "Fine, you and Ash can stay out here and pick up girls. I have some shopping to do." She placed a hand on her hip. "I'm sure Pikachu will want to help me." She pulled Pikachu off of Ash's head and placed it over her shoulder. The tiny yellow mouse squeaked, waving its claws and trying to wriggle free. Had it been anyone but Misty, the Pokémon probably would have fried her.  
  
Brock's eyes darted over to a young group of girls, none of them more than seventeen years old. They were standing by the vending machines, talking and laughing, showing each other what they had squandered their money on. The Rock Master nudged Ash, pointing them out. "I'll bet I get at least one out of that whole group. Think so?"  
  
Ash smiled smugly. It was time to try out his title. "Actually, Brocko, I think I'll take this one." Brock stepped aside, grinning and waving his hands politely. Taking as deep a breath as possible, Ash strode over to the group with his best swagger and his biggest smile. "Hi there, ladies."  
  
They regarded him with curiosity. At least, Ash hoped it was curiosity, because it certainly wasn't interest. One of them, a tall blonde with a nose ring, spoke first. "And you would be?"  
  
"Here goes." Ash thought. His insides were tumbling with nervousness. Outside, though, he remained cool as a cucumber on ice. He examined his nails with a fair amount of boredom, trying to act nonchalant. "I'm Ash Ketchum. I thought maybe one of you ladies would like the pleasure of accompanying me to a dance this Thursday." Hopefully, his name would be enough.  
  
It wasn't. "Ash WHO?" the blonde asked, confused. She didn't appear to be the intelligent type. "Like, am I supposed to know who you are?" She stared at him, beginning to grow amused.  
  
Okay, they didn't recognize his name. That's okay; once they figured out just how important he was, they would be begging for a date. "You know, Ash Ketchum. The Indigo Champion."  
  
"Indigo? Isn't that some sort of, like, color, like purple or something?" the blonde said with distaste as she scratched her nose. Her friends snickered at Ash's expense.  
  
"Indigo. As in the Pokémon League? The biggest League in the entire world?"  
  
"Oh. Sorry, I only date, like, football players."  
  
Ash blinked. "Well, how about the rest-"  
  
"Soccer players."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Basketball players."  
  
"Tennis players."  
  
"Swimmers."  
  
The last one didn't bother to make an excuse to expend Ash's feelings. "Like, why on earth would anyone want to date a skinny runt like you anyhow?" They all laughed, picking up their bags. He could still hear their laughter and snide comments as they left.  
  
"Poor little twerp."  
  
"Being Champion of a color must be tough."  
  
"I didn't even see him *wearing* any Indigo."  
  
"Hey, I, like, thought Indigo was more of a pink."  
  
Ash's head dropped nearly to his chest. He could feel the tears of embarrassment stinging in his eyes, but he refused to let them out. Willing back a river of pain and winding his hands into tight fists, he walked back to where Brock stood. His old friend slapped him on the back, trying to comfort him, but Ash just smiled. "They were washing their hair on Thursday."  
  
"All of them?"  
  
"Yeah, you know; one of those girl thing, I guess."  
* * *  
  
Ash's mother was there to greet them as they trudged into the house, their heads hung with dismay. Pikachu seemed to be the only one of them with a little happiness left in his heart; he leapt into Mrs. Ketchum's arms and purred as she began to gently stroke the Pokémon's back. "So how was your day?"  
  
"Terrible." Misty groaned, rubbing her aching back. Seven different stores and nearly a hundred dresses, and not one single dress that looked good. Either they made her look like a twig, or they made her look like a Snorlax with a glandular problem. "Worst day ever, hands down."  
  
Brock was much less verbal about it, answering with a grunt. Ninety-seven rejections...but who was counting? Still, if this kept up, Pallet Town would run out of women very quickly.  
  
Ash didn't even bother answering. The humiliation that the heartless group of teenagers had left him with still stung. He was feeling about as low as he ever could. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.  
  
"MIME!!!" Mr. Mime, armed with his broom, dropped unseen from above and began attacking Ash. Apparently the trainer was too dirty for Mimie's tastes. Ash sputtered, backing up wildly. "Mime mime miiiiime!"  
  
"Okay, okay already, I'll take my shoes off!" He slipped out of his sneakers quickly, shoving the Pokémon off. Misty and Brock followed suit, not wishing the same thing to happen to them. Ash rubbed his eyes wearily, trudging up for his room. He and Misty had come to a sort of agreement after his long night on the hard couch; as long as he wasn't a pervert, he could sleep in his own room. It sounded fair.  
  
Mrs. Ketchum made an amazingly insightful observation. "You guys don't look so good." She put Pikachu back on the floor and began feeling their foreheads. "Maybe you should take it easy tomorrow."  
  
"Too much to do." Misty muttered, half asleep already. "Gotta find a dress. Gotta get my nails done. Gotta find a hairdresser." Her head nodded forward, and she began to snore, asleep on her feet. Ash managed to catch her as she tilted forward, stopping her rapid descent.   
  
Mrs. Ketchum shook her head. "Poor dear. Ash, would you...?"  
  
He sighed. "Sure, no problem." He grunted, starting up the stairs with his slumbering encumbrance. "Maybe you're right, Mom. A break would probably do us some good." He glanced down at Brock from atop the stairs. "Feel like going to see Professor Oak tomorrow?" Brock shrugged, nodding. "Great." He dragged Misty into the bedroom, whistling for Pikachu. His Pokémon hurtled up the stairs and made it into the room before Ash shut the door.  
  
"Good night!" Ash's mom called up to them.  
* * *  
  
**Tuesday**  
  
"Good morning!" Professor Oak smiled as Ash and Brock entered the lab. They were both drenched by the storm outside, which had appeared out of blue skies without warning. Pikachu leapt to the floor and began shaking the water out of its coat. Pikachu didn't mind rainstorms most of the time, but this one hadn't even produced any lightning, the blasted thing! Ash took off his hat, mopping up the water on his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. Then he did a double take; Oak had a pair of towels and a nice serving of hot tea ready for the two of them, as well as some crackers for Pikachu. He hadn't even told Oak that they were coming. How did the old guy do that?  
  
"How nice of you to visit me, gentlemen, especially when I know things are a bit hectic for you." the Professor continued, handing them each a cup of tea. He led them into the living area, choosing to sit in an old wingback chair. Ash and Brock sat down on a weathered couch, while Pikachu chose to stay by Ash's feet, munching on the biscuits Oak had generously provided. "So tell me, how goes the preparations for our little Master's Ball?"  
  
Ash decided to lie through his teeth. "Couldn't be better, Professor! Everything is taken care of, right down to the last detail."  
  
"Having troubles, I see."  
  
Ash shook his head. It never paid to try to pull a fast one on old Doc Oak, so why even bother trying? "Truth be told, Professor, we're helpless and hopeless." Brock nodded in agreement, sipping his tea. His face contorted with disgust, and he quietly set the tea down. If Oak noticed, he didn't say anything. Ash set his own tea down, deciding to trust Brock's palate rather than risk his own. "Dates are scarce, tuxedoes don't come cheap, and I still have to find a way to show up G-" he stopped, remembering exactly whom he was talking to.  
  
Oak smiled. "Don't worry about my grandson; I know he has a bit of an ego, but you're not in competition with him." Ash thought otherwise, but kept silent. "And as for the rest of your troubles," Oak continued, "Perhaps you're trying too hard. Sometimes it's best to leave these things up to the fates." His eyes sparkled. "That reminds me. I recently acquired a pair of items that you two might be interested in." He called out to one of his many lab assistants. "Gracie, could you bring in the painting, and the book too? Thank you Gracie."  
  
Brock's jaw dropped as the assistant walked in, an oversized picture frame underneath her arm and a large, moldy book in hand. He had never seen this assistant before; he would certainly have remembered someone so beautiful. She had curly, raven black hair that cascaded just past her shoulders. Her pale ivory skin shone in the dim light, offsetting her crimson lips and chocolate brown eyes. She was thin, but not skinny, with a pair of long, slender legs. Brock was out of his seat quick as lightning, rushing over to her. "Here, let me help you with those."  
  
"Oh, thank you." the woman said gratefully. Ash and Brock cringed; her voice was awful! It sounded like a high-pitched squawk and was worse than nails on a chalkboard. It was almost as if someone was trying to kill an air-raid siren, only it wouldn't die. Ash wondered how anything natural could sound that terrible. "That was getting heavy." her grating voice continued. He wondered how anyone on Pokémon Island could have acquired a Brooklyn accent. Only one other person he knew of talked like that, and he was a cat! She took the painting from Brock and set it against the wall next to the Professor, while Brock placed the book gently on the coffee table. Gracie headed for the exit, taking one last look back to bat her eyelashes at Brock before leaving the room.  
  
Brock was petrified with shock. "Uh...excuse me, please." He bolted from the room like a bullet after Gracie. Ash and Professor Oak chuckled together good-naturedly. Then Ash happened to glance at the painting that Oak had been intent on them seeing, and froze.  
  
It was a woman... a beautiful woman. Her jade green eyes seemed to radiate a multitude of emotion; confidence, serenity, warmth, and love all wrapped into one peaceful gaze. A thick band of raven hair cascaded past her shoulders and down towards her ankles, swaying in an unseen wind that tossed the edges of her clinging, translucent white gown. "It's her..." Ash murmured. Inch for inch, it was the woman from his dreams. It was unsettling, like seeing a snapshot of his subconscious smacked right in front of him.  
  
"Do you like her?" Oak took a sip of his own tea, then set the glass down. "I picked it up for quite a sum at a recent auction in Viridian City." He crossed his ankles and leaned back, admiring the painting. "It's the work of an ancient Pokémopolitan prophet by the name of Ma'kala...a blind prophet, in fact. He also wrote these." He held up the book sitting on the coffee table. "The Foretelling of Ma'kala." The old professor chuckled. "A bit foreboding, if you ask me."  
  
"Professor..." Ash tried to speak around his own amazement, "Professor, do you know...who she is?"  
  
"Hmm?" Oak looked up from the moldy book. "Oh, yes, of course. This is his interpretation of the legendary Pokégoddess."  
  
"Poké-goddess?"  
  
Professor Oak nodded. "That's right. The Pokémopolitans believed that she descended from the heavens and created all Pokémon. She was a deity of the ancient Pokémopolitan race, watching over them and their empire. "  
  
Ash looked harder at the painting. The woman-the Pokégoddess?-was painted onto a pure white background, which had acquired a fine coating of grime over the years. However, there was one other thing he couldn't quite understand about the painting; hanging above the Goddess's right shoulder was a series of six dark red circles. There was one in the center surrounded by the other five in a pentagram fashion. If he looked closely, he could make out runes written in deep black letters on them, but he couldn't read them. They were in no language he had ever seen. "Professor, what are those circles?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Those six red circles, the ones with the funny writing on them. What do they mean?"   
Oak stared hard at the painting, scrutinizing the portion Ash was talking about. "I don't rightly know, Ash. I'll have to look for its mentioning in the texts. There are some very peculiar things in this book, you know." He leaned back, cradling the book as he gently opened the pages. "A lot of nonsense about the Apocalypse, and the like."  
  
Ash's head whipped around so fast it was a wonder he didn't develop neck problems. "The WHAT?"  
  
"You know, the Apocalypse; the end of the world." Oak chuckled, flipping through the pages. "I've only managed to translate a bit of it so far. Let me see...ah, here it is!" He cleared his throat and began to recite.  
  
"A black power will come, blanketing the world in evil darkness. The Children of Evil will awaken, giving rise to disaster. Their death will signify the coming of the Despised One, whose power will bring a terrible fate upon the world. The Dark Mortal shall unlock the Demon Ball, freeing the fearsome wrath of the beast. They who defeated the Children of Darkness, the Disciple, chosen of the Goddess, will face the Despised One. He alone will determine the fate of the world...destruction, or redemption."  
  
Ash was ashen, pale with fear. He wouldn't have believed a word of it, but the woman...the Pokégoddess herself had told him the exact same thing in fewer words, with fewer details. He felt a chill run down his spine. All this destiny talk was creeping him out. "Boy," his voice quavered, "I'd hate to be this Disciple guy. Sounds like he's going to be toast."   
  
Oak laughed. "Even if this Disciple person exists-which I highly doubt-he would have the entire power of the Pokégoddess behind him. I hardly think anyone with the power of Fate itself would be incompetent enough to lose a mere fight, Ash."  
  
Ash rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Maybe this whole destiny thing could help him. "Fate, eh? Hmmmm..." A brilliant plan began to form in his head.  
* * *  
  
**Wednesday**  
  
The alarm clock droned noisily, waking Misty from the perfect dream. She had been sweeping across the ballroom floor in Ash's arms, leaning her head against his chest. Then Ash had spilled punch on her dress. Well, almost perfect was better than nothing. She rolled over, savoring the feel of the soft downy bed. She would have to compliment Ash on the comfort of his top bunk; it was doing wonders for her back. She climbed down and tapped the cutoff for the alarm, yawning and stretching. What a great night of sleep! Now it was time for some mid-morning shopping. Her eyes flicked to the clock's face.  
  
Twelve-thirty!  
  
"Oh my GOD!" She hastily pulled on a pair of pants, struggling momentarily with the belt, then rushed out of the room and down the stairs. Mrs. Ketchum was sitting at the kitchen counter, humming as she sipped a mug of coffee and read the local newspaper. Misty ran right past her, making her way for the door. "Oh God, How could I have slept so late? I set the alarm for seven!"  
  
"Hold it right there, missy!" Mrs. Ketchum's voice commanded, halting Misty in her tracks. "I very much doubt that you've had a decent meal in the past three days, so you're going to sit down and eat something right now before you rush off." She laid out a plate and a glass, then went to the 'fridge to rummage for food.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Sit!" Ash's mother brought back a pitcher of milk and a stack of cold hotcakes, which she promptly placed in the microwave to reheat. Misty reluctantly took her seat, shifting uncomfortably. "Ash and Brock wanted to get an early start today, they're already down at the shopping center. You can catch up to them after you've had some breakfast."  
  
"Mrs. Ketchum, I really appreciate that you worry about me, but there's so much I have to do...I still haven't found a dress, and I need to make an appointment at the Lé Nails Fantastic, and-"  
  
"Convince Ash to go to the dance with you?" Ash's mother added casually as she pulled the hotcakes from the microwave and placed them on Misty's plate. Misty's jaw dropped, her mouth opening and closing as she tried, unsuccessfully, to form words. Mrs. Ketchum smiled at her, handing her the maple syrup. "It's all right, dear. Brock filled me in on the whole situation last night."  
  
Misty gratefully accepted the syrup, heaping a generous helping onto her stack of pancakes. "Well, I guess I need to add 'Murder Brock' to my to-do list, don't I?" She began to scoop mouthfuls of pancake in, hardly bothering to chew. It was amazingly similar to the way Ash ate; rapidly, without thought of cleanliness or appearance. Misty must have unknowingly picked up on his bad habits as time had gone by.   
  
Mrs. Ketchum sighed, walking around behind Misty. She produced a brush and began to stroke Misty's hair, untangling the horrific mess atop the Water Mistress's head. "Don't be so hard on him, dear. After all, we're both looking out for your best interests." Misty's hair now brushed, she pulled out a pair of small hairclips; one for her ponytail in the back, and the other for the small lock she kept by her temple.  
  
Now it was Misty's turn to sigh. She pushed the remains of breakfast away and began helping Ash's mother arrange her hair. "What's the point, really? Ash and I are through, there's no way he'd take me back. Not after the way I dumped him." Ash's mom raised an eyebrow at this, but kept silent. "Besides, if he was going to ask me, he would have done it by now. I'm just a loud, obnoxious, nagging, skinny redhead to him, a friend at best."  
  
"Misty," Ash's mother put the finishing touches on Misty's ponytail, "Have I ever steered you wrong?"  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"Then trust me on this one; he'll say yes." She stepped back, getting a good look at Misty. "There now. That should do for a day of shopping. We'll figure something a bit better for tomorrow night. Run along now, you've got too much to do to waste your time listening to me prattle on." She began to clean up the remnants of Misty's breakfast.  
  
Misty nodded. "And Mrs. Ketchum?"  
  
"Yes, dear?"  
  
"Thank you." Misty stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ash's mom on the cheek, then ran out the door.  
  
Ash's mom smiled. "You're welcome, Misty." She sighed contently, then began mopping up the counter. Mr. Mime appeared out of nowhere to aid in the cleanup, vacuum in hand. "Oh, so now you're awake too. I suppose you'll be wanting breakfast, won't you?" Mimie nodded vigorously, laughing happily. "Well, you're in luck; I think there's just enough pancakes left for the both of us." She walked back over to the 'fridge. Cleanup could wait another few minutes, after all.  
* * *  
  
"Ash, I still don't get it..." Brock scratched his head, holding the small blindfold. Pikachu sat perched atop his head, trying to get comfortable among all of the sharp, pointy spikes conglomerated among his follicles. It was certainly different from Ash's hat; the electric Pokémon hoped that it would only be temporary.  
  
Ash grinned. "Brock, I know it sounds stupid-"  
  
"And dangerous-" Brock interjected,  
  
Ash ignored his friend, continuing on, "but believe me, Fate is smiling over Ash Ketchum like you wouldn't believe!" He pointed across the way to the small shopping complex. The place was jam-packed with women off all kinds, scrambling and clawing at each other to get in. "Look, Marcy's is having a sale today, right?"  
  
"Right..."  
  
"So that place is filled to capacity with all sorts of beautiful women, right?"  
  
"Right..."  
  
Ash beamed, proud of the plan he had worked out. "So, it's simple. You tie that blindfold onto me. Then, I walk over there, totally blind. If destiny does its job, the first person I bump into will be who I was meant to go to the Master's Ball with. Simple, no?"  
  
"Simple minded, you mean. Ash, are you sure about this?"  
  
Ash turned around defiantly, pointing to his skull. "Less talking, more tying. Come on, chop-chop!" Brock shrugged, wrapping the handkerchief around Ash's eyes, then knotting it tight. "All right, I'm good to go. Now, just point me in the right direction."  
  
Brock sighed. "Ash, wouldn't it just be better to ask Misty?"  
  
"Brock, there's no chance in blazes that she'd say yes." Ash would have much rather taken Misty to the dance, but the odds of her agreeing were one in a million. "To her, I'm just some over-lucked, no talent, brainless, loud oaf." His voice was sad for just a split second before he recovered. "C'mon, let's do this."  
  
Brock grabbed Ash's shoulders, taking careful aim. He saw a particularly beautiful bunch standing just on the edge of the frenzy and decided that it would be as good as any. "You sure about this, Ash?"  
  
"For the last time, yes! And hey, if this works, maybe you can try it too."  
  
Brock smiled dreamily, releasing Ash. "Sorry, I've already got a date." Gracie, Oak's beautiful lab assistant had said 'yes' to his proposal...to go to the dance, that is. He still couldn't believe it; it was like a dream come true.  
  
Ash shrugged and began to strut off, totally without sight. "Your loss." His feet pounded on the pavement as he swaggered on. "Poor fool, I'll be swaying with my soul-mate while he's stuck with that gutter-voice banshee." he chuckled under his breath once he was sure Brock was out of earshot.  
  
A few of the girls regarded Ash curiously as he came nearer. As bad luck would have it, Brock had pointed him at the same group that had rejected the League Champ two nights before. The one with the nose ring elbowed her friend. "Say, like, isn't that the one Indigo guy?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so. What's Mr. Purple-Pants doing?"  
  
The nose-ringed blonde scratched her head. "I dunno, but he's coming this way. Maybe we'd better give him some space. He doesn't, like, look like he's looking where he's, like, going." The entire group stepped back in unison, allowing Ash a clear path past them. Unwittingly, Ash walked past them without knowing how close he had come. He walked on, moving past the shopping center and out onto the sidewalks of downtown Pallet. Brock and Pikachu, seeing that Ash's plan had failed miserably, chased after him, shouting and calling out his name.  
  
"Hmmm...this is taking longer than I thought." Ash murmured, putting one foot in front of the other. He came dangerously close to being sideswiped by a passing bicyclist, who yelled at him and shook his fist at the blind pedestrian.  
  
"Get off the sidewalk, you freakin' maniac!"   
  
"Hey, I'm walking here!" It must have been someone's jealous boyfriend, Ash decided. Oh well, that just meant one single girl eliminated from hundreds. His odds were still pretty good.  
  
Brock sprinted after his sightless companion, Pikachu hot on his heels. For a blind guy, Ash could move pretty fast! Where did he..."There!" Brock shouted, pointing. The blood drained from his face as he saw where Ash was heading; Main Street, Pallet Town's most bustling channel for traffic was about to swallow their friend up whole. "Oh my GOD! Pikachu, can you stop him with a Thunderwave from here?" Ash would be mad, but they could afford to weather some of Ash's rage if it meant saving his life.  
  
Pikachu squinted, then shook its head sadly. "Pika...pikachaaa." It trilled negatively, looking up at Brock. Powerful as it was, Pikachu just couldn't push a Thunderwave across that span of distance. Besides, some poor pedestrian might step in the way and become paralyzed. Then their problems would be doubled.  
  
"Too late!" Brock screamed, pointing out at the street. Ash had already stepped out into traffic.  
  
Ash, oblivious to his lethal surroundings, trudged on. "What is the freaking holdup?" he grumbled as cars, busses and motorbikes roared past him at speeds better than fifty miles an hour. "You'd think I would have bumped into something by now." A double-decker bus honked as it sped by, barely swerving in time to avoid crushing the youthful Ketchum. "What's all that buzzing, anyway?" He looked around, tempted to pull off the blindfold. "Must be some killer mosquitoes, or something. It's that time of year, I guess." He shrugged and continued on, already halfway across the intersection.  
  
Brock stood on the roadside, covering his narrow eyes in horror. "Tell me when it's over, Pikachu. I can't bear to see Ash turned into street pizza." Pikachu scolded him, it's own claws covering its tiny brown-black eyes tightly. "Oh God, oh God, we can't let him die twice in one year! Mrs. Ketchum is going to have a stroke!" he moaned.  
  
Miraculously, Ash managed to cross the highway with little more than the curse of foul-mouthed drivers ringing in his ears and a coating of exhaust fumes dusting his clothes. "Boy, there sure are some hotheads at the mall today..." He plodded down the sidewalk, reaching the corner of the next street. As chance would have it, something-or rather, someone-ran full-bore into him, knocking the both of them down. "Ah-ha!" He ripped off the blindfold, ready to greet his 'mystery date'. "Hel-" he cut himself off, spying a shock of familiar red hair adorning the crown of the crashed girl. "Oh."  
  
Misty sat up, coughing and dusting herself off. "Oh, jeez, I'm terribly sorr-" she too stopped as she realized who it was. "Eeee..." She got up, placing her hands on her slender hips. "Ash Ketchum, what in blazes are you doing here? And what's with the cloth?"  
  
Ash got up, looking down at the blindfold in his hand. "Well, I was-" He stopped for a moment, playing back what he had just tried inside his head; he couldn't tell Misty what he was doing. She would never let him live this down if she knew. Now that he thought about it, it 'was' a stupid plan. Why hadn't Brock tried to stop him? It was Brock's job to make sure he didn't make a fool of himself, blast it! "Uh, nothing." Where was Brock, anyway? And Pikachu, for that matter; they should have been here by now. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. "Hey, this isn't the mall."  
  
"Good deduction, Sherlock." Misty rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I was just on my way there now. There's a major sale at Marcy's, and I want to get there before it's picked clean." Her expression softened just a bit. "So..."  
  
"Yeah..." Ash nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"Found anyone to-"  
  
"No, no, not yet."  
  
Her hands folded behind her back as she looked down at the ground. "Me neither...Too busy with other stuff, and-"  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it."  
  
The two of them stood in uncomfortable silence. Neither of them could stand to look at the other, almost ashamed to even bring it up. Ash finally worked up the courage, forcing the rising bile down in his throat. Right now he felt about two inches tall and half as brave.  
  
"Uh, so, do you wanna-"  
  
"Really? I mean, uh-"  
  
"Oh, if you don't-"  
  
"No, that'd be fine. I mean, it's not like-"  
  
"Yeah." Ash laughed nervously. There were another few uncomfortable moments of tense peace as neither one of them moved, still avoiding the other's eyes.  
  
"Well, I guess I'd better-" Misty started.  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
"See you tonight?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Misty walked off hesitantly. She barely avoided getting plowed down by Brock and Pikachu, who gave her a quick nod and wave before rushing over to Ash. Brock leaned against his knees and panted, trying to catch his breath. "Ash, are you okay?" he managed to wheeze. Poor Pikachu had to prop itself against Ash's leg until it regained enough oxygen to 'Pika'.  
  
Ash shrugged. "I'm not sure what you guys are worried about, I'm fine. How'd I get here, anyway?" Brock gritted and gnashed his teeth. "Well, it doesn't matter anyhow. Misty said yes."  
  
Brock blinked, pausing in his quest for full lungs. "She said yes? All right, that's great!"  
  
Ash shrugged. "Didn't seem to happy about it. Guess it shows how high I rank, huh?" He sat down on the curb, tossing the handkerchief aside like a used tissue. "I don't get it, why didn't it work? Destiny should've placed my fated date right in front of me. Instead," he snorted, "I ended up smacking into Misty." The trainer sighed. "There's Fate for you."  
  
The corners of Brock's mouth twitched upwards. "Yeah, what a shame."  
* * *  
  
**Thursday**  
(The Big Day)  
  
Misty stared, unblinking, into the reflection of the mirror. She stood atop the Ketchum's shag tub mat inside of their bathroom, letting the soft fibers snuggle up in between her toes. A soaked, sopping blue towel clung to her figure, trapping in water rather than soaking it up. It made her skin feel clammy and cold against the morning chill that permeated the house. Her hair was tangled and disarrayed, having been hastily dried with the towel that she now wore. She stared at the mirror from across the sink, past the steam coating the reflective surface. Her eyes probed every feature, every detail, every inch of the reflection. Day in, day out, it was always the same person staring back at her. But not today; who was this person?   
  
She looked deeper, peering at her. The girl staring back at her had orange-red hair, just like a carrot. She hated carrots; not only did they taste terrible, but also were a disgusting, hideous color. Dull blue eyes that hung on either side of her snubby, pointy nose like a pair of ugly aqua orbs. What a nose, too! It was ridiculous, almost comical the way it curled up just slightly at the end. Her gaze went down further, taking her past the neckline. Her body, what a joke It just couldn't seem to make up its mind; was she a girl, or was she a woman? Somewhere in-between, awkwardly frozen like some half-done sculpture left to gather moss by a disgusted, lazy artist. Her body was a big, heart-wrenching joke, funny to the entire world but that poor little girl. What would Ash have called her? What was that word he always loved to use? Scrawny. A big, scrawny joke.  
  
This girl was new to Misty; she didn't know this stranger, who stared back at her through the mists of the mirror. She was ugly. She had no confidence, because she didn't have enough skill or talent to be confident about. Everything about her was wrong, all wrong. That nose, those eyes, that hair...the poor dear didn't stand a chance. Misty pitied her deeply. There was only one person she pitied more:  
  
Herself.  
* * *  
  
"Misty!" Ash's fist pounded on the door. He shivered, trying to wrap his bathrobe tighter around himself. "Will you hurry up already? You've been in the bathroom for an hour! I gotta GO! MISTY!" Pikachu stood next to his feet, chattering with laughter. It imitated Ash's 'dance', chuckling at his expense. "Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" he nudged the Pokémon with his toe, poking it into Pikachu's side. Pikachu jumped, rubbing its ribs indignantly and grumbling at him. Ash turned his attention back to the door. "Sometime before the turn of the CENTURY, Misty!"  
  
Ash's mom shook her head, smiling. "Yell a little louder, dear. I don't think all our neighbors can hear you just yet." she quipped as she ascended the stairs, tossing a bath towel at Ash's head. He pulled it off of his face and dumped it on Pikachu, who was laughing even harder at him now. "Is Misty all right in there?"  
  
"Yeah, she's fine. I heard her singing in the shower a little earlier." Ash's eyes became dreamy as he recalled Misty's beautiful performance of 'I Want To Tell You' while she was bathing. He brought himself back to reality, resuming his pounding on the bathroom door. "She'd be a lot better if she let OTHER PEOPLE USE THE BATHROOM!"  
  
He was totally unprepared when Misty opened the door. He had to stop his fist in mid-air, lest he pound Misty's face in. With the way the corners of her mouth hung down, a major contusion might have been an improvement on her expression. Her eyes were cold, melancholy to the utmost degree. Her skin, damp and unnaturally pale, gleaming in the sunny dawn. Ash began to grumble, "Finally!" but stopped; All she was wearing was a sopping wet towel that barely covered her 'coverables'. "Jeez!" he whipped his head around, trying very, 'very' hard not to see too much. "Misty, you're half-naked! What were you doing in there?"  
  
"I can't go." Her voice was flat and dull, filled with pain. She didn't even look at Ash; she just stared straight past him.  
  
"Huh?" Ash was again caught off guard. "What?"  
  
"I can't go to the dance. I'm sorry." She began to sob, running down the hall as she clutched the towel around her. The door to Ash's room slammed behind her, echoing through the tiny hallway. Ash just stared at the closed doorway with shock, not quite registering what happened. He seemed almost on the verge of tears, but managed to hold them back somehow.  
  
"Well, I guess I should have known." he said bitterly.  
Ash's mother, however, was flabbergasted. She hadn't expected anything like this. "What do you mean, honey?" She climbed the rest of the stairs slowly, not sure of what to do.  
  
Ash was shaking, but he didn't know why. Was it rage, disappointment, or was he just crying? He would never know. "She'd rather stay home, and be labeled a dance-dodging dateless wonder, than go with me." He turned, half running, half stomping down the steps. "I guess it shows how much I'm worth, huh?" Pikachu looked back at Mrs. Ketchum for a moment, then scampered after Ash.  
  
Ash's mom glanced back at her vanishing son, then turned to Misty's new refuge. "This may take a little more work than I anticipated."  
  
Brock exited the guestroom, clad in sweatpants and an old tank top. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, grumbling with annoyance. "What's all the commotion about?" His bare feet thumped against the hardwood floor as he padded over to Mrs. Ketchum.  
  
"Oh, nothing special." Ash's mother assured him. "Just a little problem with the kids, that's all." She pointed first to Ash's door, where Misty sat moping. Then she gestured downstairs to the unseen Ash, off doing heaven-only-knew.  
  
"Which one do we talk to first?"  
  
Ash's mom thought about it for a moment. "Misty. Ash will be easy enough to deal with." Brock nodded and began walking towards Ash's room, but Mrs. Ketchum stopped him. "Hold on there, hombre. Where do you think you're going?"  
  
Brock was completely confused now. "But you just said-"  
  
"I didn't mean right now, silly, and certainly not you!" she gently cuffed him on the head. "Fixing this will take a woman's touch. You just keep an eye on Ash for me." Brock nodded in agreement, taking off downstairs after Ash. "We'll see if we can't fix this yet..."  
* * *  
  
Misty, long-since fully clothed, sat atop Ash's bottom bunk. She was dressed in a sleeveless yellow shirt and a pair of cutoff denim shorts. It was an outfit that she hadn't worn for quite some time now. Her hair, her glorious red hair, was bunched up in a large, awkward clump that shot off of the side of her head like a mutated ponytail. It was her old hairstyle, the hair of a child. Somehow it felt appropriate. She sniffed, clutching her knees close to her chest. Her mind was racing with a mixture of self-pity and anger, anger toward her own stupidity. What had she been thinking? She couldn't, she wouldn't, face Ash ever again. Tears ran down her cheeks, tiny waterfalls of pain that she could no longer bottle up inside. She buried her face into her knees and began to sob, the flow of emotion becoming unstoppable now that it had been released.  
  
A soft, gentle tap sounded from the door, interrupting her tears. "Misty?" Mrs. Ketchum's muffled voice was filled with concern, "Are you in there, dear?"  
  
"No. Go away."  
  
Mrs. Ketchum opened the door slowly, sticking her head in first. She gave Misty and encouraging smile as she entered the room. "Misty, why don't you come out? All of us are worried about you."  
  
"Really." Misty stated dully, not believing. She didn't care what happened to her anymore, so why should anyone else? "So where's Ash?" She looked up, gazing at the pair with her bloodshot, tear-filled eyes, the rims of which red and puffy from crying.  
  
Ash's mom sat down next to Misty, her hand folded in her lap. "He left the house a little while ago. I think he needs some time to himself. You know, he's very upset that you don't want to go to the dance with him."  
  
Misty very nearly smiled. "I hope the goofball didn't go out in his bathrobe."  
  
Mrs. Ketchum giggled. "No, Brock was nice enough to loan Ash a set of his clothes." She began to chuckle harder. "It was actually a bit funny; Ash, standing there, wearing clothes that were three sizes too big for him." She burst out into laughter, "The poor dear." Misty's own frame was shaking with laughter. Then it became half-laughing, half-sobbing. Within seconds, she had reverted completely to crying and wailing. Ash's mom quickly embraced her in a tight hug, patting her on the back. "There, there, dear. If you didn't want to go to the dance with Ash, you should have just been honest. He would have understood, and I'm sure any grudge would have worn-"  
  
"NO!" Misty shouted, startling Ash's mom. "No," she said again, this time more softly, "It isn't that. It isn't that at all." She broke Mrs. Ketchum's embrace gently, beginning to walk the length of the room with slow, shuffling steps. "Your son...Ash...he's great. I mean, there are times when I can't stand the little dipstick..." She looked quickly to Mrs. Ketchum, her eyes growing wide. "No offense..."  
  
"None taken." The elder Ketchum smiled broadly. "I won't dispute you just yet."  
  
"But he's...just wonderful. He's understanding, and empathetic, and brave, and cute..." She stopped, pointedly looking at Ash's mom. "You aren't going to tell him I said any of this, are you?" her tears halted momentarily.  
  
"My lips are sealed." Ash's mother was still confused. "I don't understand...if you like Ash, then what's the problem?" She folded her arms, trying to maintain a non-threatening demeanor.  
  
Misty's gaze wandered across the room slowly until it came to rest upon Ash's full-length mirror. She walked over to it, her feet dragging on the hard wood floor as she crossed the room, until her frame filled the reflection of the mirror. "The problem is...me." Mrs. Ketchum responded with questioning looks, hoping for a more thorough answer. Misty looked back to the mirror, sighing disgustedly. "The Waterflowers come from a long line of beauty and grace." She pulled a worn, dog-eared picture out of her back pocket, staring intently at it; it was an old family photo, taken about a year before she and Ash had first met. The photo depicted Misty and her three sisters standing outside the Cerulean City gym, underneath the gigantic Dewgong figurine. Misty stood in front of her taller sisters, scrunched tight in the middle. "Just look at my sisters; Violet, Lilly, Daisy...they're all beautiful." She threw the picture down disgustedly. "Then there's me, the runt of the family, little Misty Waterflower, the poor youngest daughter that missed out on all the looks."  
  
Mrs. Ketchum finally understood. She got up slowly, walking up behind Misty. "Dear, you've got it all wrong." She bent down to pick up the photo.  
  
Misty's tears were once more streaming freely from her eyes. "Do I?" her voice shook, barely under control. "Just look at that photo. Just look at it!" She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to look at herself in the mirror.  
  
Mrs. Ketchum put a hand on Misty's shoulder. "I am looking at it. Do you want to know what I see?" Misty sniffed, turning around. "I see a little girl standing in front of three older sisters who had a pretty big head start on her. I see a brave girl who set out on her own, even after everyone else told her she'd fail." She smiled at Misty. "I see a girl with as much courage, intelligence and inner beauty as I've ever seen."  
  
Misty's tears did not stop. "Maybe...but that doesn't change-"  
  
"It already has." Mrs. Ketchum turned Misty around gently so that she faced her reflection in the mirror. She held up the photo so Misty could see it in the reflection. "This little girl isn't you anymore, Misty." She set the photo down on Ash's desk, which rested next to the mirror. "You've grown so much since then. I've watched you blossom into a beautiful young lady, every inch as attractive as your sisters and five times as talented." She undid Misty's offshoot hairstyle, letting the girl's mane of fiery red-orange hair drop to hang just below her shoulders. "Can you see her? She's right in front of you."  
  
Misty sniffed, finally smiling. Maybe if she squinted really hard...and if she used her imagination just a touch..."I can." she whispered, "I can see her." There she was, standing right in front of her; a beautiful young woman was gazing back at her in the reflection. She had long slender legs, a wiry, curved figure, beautiful sea-blue eyes and gorgeous red hair cascading down her shoulders. Misty whirled around, wrapping Ash's mom in a tight hug that nearly broke several of the woman's ribs. "Thank you..." the Mistress of Water cried, this time with tears of happiness. "Oh, thank you so much."  
  
Mrs. Ketchum stroked the girl's head, ignoring the pain in her ribs. "I'm glad we've gotten that straightened out." She pulled the chair from Ash's desk over to the mirror and gestured for Misty to sit. "Come on, we have to make you look fantastic for the dance." She produced a hairbrush as the Water Mistress sat down. Ash's mother began to stroke Misty's hair with the brush, running it through the tangled red locks. She sighed. "You know, I've always thought of you as the daughter I never had."  
  
"Really?" Misty was surprised, and very flattered.  
  
"Mm-hmm." Ash's mom nodded. "Ever since I was, oh, about your age, I dreamed of having a beautiful little girl who I could have tea parties with, and who I could teach to be a woman."  
  
Misty looked at the elder Ketchum through the mirror. "Were you disappointed when Ash was born?"  
  
"Oh, heavens no." Mrs. Ketchum grinned. "Ash was a wonderful little boy, everything a mother could ever hope and dream for. The day he was born, I stopped wishing for a daughter."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because what I really needed was a wonderful daughter-in-law who could keep up with him." They both laughed at this, each of them knowing all-to-well how Ash could be. "I'm surprised you've lasted this long with him, Misty. I know what a handful he can be."  
  
Misty smiled. "Well, I can't take credit for all of it; Brock does quite a bit in reigning Ash in, after all. Pikachu too, though most of the time he just follows Ash right into the thick of things."  
  
Mrs. Ketchum stood back, giving Misty's follicles a final once-over. "There. I've done all I can with it. It's all up to the stylist now." She winked at Misty. "I took the liberty of making an appointment for you. It's in an hour, so you'll have to hurry."  
  
"I guess I'll have to change for the dance in-town." Misty said. She looked longingly at her beautiful red dress, wrapped in plastic and hanging over the end of the bed. It had taken her days to find it, but hopefully, it would be up to the task. Then she looked back at Ash's mom, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. "I guess I should get going..." They stood in a moment of silence, both not quite knowing what to say. Finally, Misty rushed towards her, wrapping her in another bone-crunching hug. "Thank you," she whispered, "For everything."  
  
"You're more than welcome, dear." Ash's mom whispered back, kissing the teen atop her head. "I'll always there if you need me."  
* * *  
  
**Thursday [night]**  
(30 minutes to dance time)  
  
Brock stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his bright red bow tie. A little to the left...no, now more to the right. There, it was perfect. He stepped back, taking in the view; a black, spotless rental tux hung off of his muscular form, giving him an eye full of class in the mirror. "You are gonna knock her off her feet, Brock-O!" he said to the reflection, throwing on some cologne. A light tapping came on the door to his guestroom. "Come in."  
  
Mrs. Ketchum stepped into the room, dressed to kill in a beautiful, shimmering emerald evening gown and matching handbag. She took one look at Brock and whistled. "Hey there, handsome." she winked at him. "Looking good, Brock. You all set?"  
  
"Mrs. Ketchum?" Brock's jaw dropped. He rubbed his squinted eyes and looked again, not quite able to believe that this was the same woman that gave birth to Ash Ketchum. "I didn't know you were going too..."  
  
She smiled, placing a hand on her hip. "Professor Oak asked me to accompany him in chaperoning the dance. He's such a sweetie." She adjusted his carefully placed bow tie, fixing the angle he had placed it at. "So, is everything set? Did we manage to fix *all* of the emergencies?"  
  
"Ash is in his room now, changing, and Misty should be on her way now." They high-fived each other. "We are 'so' good." he grinned. The beefy Rock trainer exited the room. "Speaking of which, I'll go check on Ash." Brock traversed the few feet from his room to Ash's door and knocked. "Hey Ash, you in there?"  
  
"Yeah. C'mon in." Ash's muffled reply answered from inside the room.  
  
Brock opened the door and entered Ash's dimly lit sanctuary. "Hey, buddy, are you all-AUGHHHHH!" Brock screamed in horror.  
  
"What?" Ash was lying nonchalantly on the bottom bunk of the bed, leaning back against a pile of pillows he had stacked up behind himself. He wore a pair of ancient stained and tattered jeans and a Vermilion Victreebell's jersey. His hat was on the other side of the room, sitting on the floor. Ash held a deck of cards in his hand, which he attempted to flip, one by one, into the carelessly discarded hat. Pikachu sat next to him, chewing on the joker cards. "Something wrong?"  
  
"What in the name of Mew do you think you're doing?" Brock was hysterical, though he wasn't really sure why. It was probably seeing all of his and Mrs. Ketchum's hard work fly away in a fit of slovenliness that turned his face crimson with anger. "Misty will be here any minute, and you aren't even ready for the dance!"  
  
"Yeah, so? She doesn't want to go with me anyway." Ash's voice was bitter as he tried to throw the King of Hearts into his hat. "So what's the problem?"  
  
Brock moaned, cradling his face. "The problem, you half-brained Magikarp, is that she 'does' want to go with you! So get your butt in gear and get ready, got it?"  
  
Ash got up, jostling Pikachu as he rose from the bed. "Brock, that's the thing. She thinks she does, but she really doesn't. No one could want to go with me."  
  
"Oh lord, please not this." Brock murmured. It was like Misty, only worse. "Why not?" he groaned.  
  
Ash's eyes hung towards the floor. He stood in front of his mirror, the same mirror Misty had stood in front of mere hours before. "Look at me. Just a skinny, brainless twerp. I'm surprised Misty is even my friend." He snorted. "I'm about as dateless as you, you know that?"  
  
"Hey!" Brock cried indignantly, "I have a date!"  
  
"Yeah, the Banshee from Oak's Lair."  
  
Brock shook his head. "Ash, Ash, Ash, you poor, superficial fool. You need to look past the first glance." His eyes grew dreamy. "If you look deep, past her admittedly gruesome voice, you see that she has a very incredible body."  
  
Ash rolled his eyes. "You're right. I should try to be less shallow, like you. My mistake." He turned away to look out the window, sighing. "Mistakes. I've made so many of them...more than my fair share." Pikachu, done with the joker cards, ran up to Ash and tugged on the boy's pant leg.  
  
"Pika? Pikachu."  
  
Ash picked Pikachu up, holding him. "I can't even remember how many times I've stumbled along the way...how many times I've screwed up royally. It's a wonder I haven't cost anyone their life."  
  
Brock laid a hand on his shoulder. "Making mistakes is part of learning." He smiled, "But you're right, not even I know how many you've made. I haven't even 'been' there to see all the mistakes you've made as a trainer." He saw a small dot in the distance, traversing the trail out to the Ketchum's neighborhood. It had to be Misty. "But there's someone who 'has' been there. She's seen every mistake you've made, every folly, and every triumph." He rubbed Ash's head, much like an older brother would. "She's always been there for you, just like me. You gonna let her down?"  
  
Ash still looked unconvinced. He too saw the figure in the distance, now almost close enough to see clearly. Brock picked up a pair of binoculars from Ash's dresser and peered through them, trying to get a better look. Once he got them focused, he was floored beyond words. "Ho-lee moley!"  
  
"What?" Brock handed the binoculars to Ash so he could get an eye full. Ash was even more stunned than Brock had been. "T-t-that...I-I-I..." he gulped. "She has red hair like Misty's...but that CAN'T be Misty...can it?"  
  
Brock just shook his head. "Brother, if you disappoint someone who looks like 'that', you need your head examined."  
  
Ash began to panic, jumping around. Pikachu leapt from his arms, chattering at him. "Oh my God, oh my GOD! She'll be here in less than a minute. Brock, SHE'LL BE HERE IN LESS THAN A MINUTE!"  
  
Brock grabbed Ash, slapping him. "Get a hold of yourself, man!" Brock looked down at Pikachu. "Pikachu, I have a very important mission for you."  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu drew up at attention, throwing Brock a salute.  
  
"Pikachu, I need you to stall Misty for as long as you can. I don't care what you do-sing, dance, mug her-just keep her away from this house as long as you can." Pikachu scampered off, heading out the room and down the stairs as fast as its little mousy legs would carry it. "Okay Ash, we have our work cut out for us."  
  
"What're we going to do?"  
  
Brock looked grim. "Something never attempted before..." he scowled, dragging Ash roughly towards the bathroom. "We're going to have you ready for a black tie affair in less than four minutes, or die trying."  
* * *  
  
Misty walked along the dirt path, adorned in her sparkling red dress. Despite the lack of preparation, she was pleased with it; the high-collared, flowing dress eliminated the possibility of anyone getting a good look at something they shouldn't, but it had a seductive slit running all the way up to her mid-thigh, and clung to her in all the right places. Her hair was piled atop her head in a beautiful mass of curls, brushed back behind her ears. A playful braid hung down from her left temple, as it always did, only now frilled and with a satin ribbon. Her make-up was in place, Celadon City perfume gave her the scent of a princess, and her Pokémon were secured in the matching handbag that swung from her delicate hand. Psyduck occupied one of Silph Co.'s new Hyperballs, firmly locked and double-locked. Hopefully it would be enough to keep the moron contained.  
  
She drew closer to the Ketchum residence, mere steps from its door. She forced herself to breathe normally, instead of the heaving, nervous gasps that she oh-so-desired to take. "It's all right. Just a few more steps...ring the doorbell...and try not to puke all over your dance partner." Pulling herself up to her full height (Which was a mere centimeter taller than Ash. Where was the justice in the universe?), she put one foot in front of the other, walking up to the Ketchum's porch. She was about to ring the doorbell when a small yellow blur leapt from the bushes, startling her. "Oh!"  
  
"Pika! Pika ka chaa!" Pikachu cried joyfully, leaping into Misty's arms. "Pikachu. Cha, ka-cha chooo ka-cha, Pi pikacha."  
  
She smiled, catching Pikachu. "Yes, I'm very happy to see you too, Pikachu. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go inside." She set the Pokémon down on the porch's railing and reached for the doorknob.  
  
Pikachu's mind whirred as it recalled Brock's words. * I don't care what you do-sing, dance, mug her-just keep her away from this house as long as you can. * "Cha!" The mouse would start from the top of its list and work its way down. Pikachu began to warble, garbling its own version of the Indigo League's anthem. "Pika pika, pi-pi-ka cha, pi pi pi pikachuuuuu."  
  
Misty raised an eyebrow at the tiny rodent. "Are you okay, Pikachu? You aren't sick, are you?" She turned again to the doorbell, reaching out to push it.  
  
Time to try again. "Pikachu!" The electric mouse began to stamp and beat its feet on the porch railing, still warbling out its miserable solo. "Pika-pika, pi-pi ka cha, pi pika, pi-ka-chuuuu."  
  
"Pikachu, really now. That's enough, you're making a terrible racket." Misty's hands were on her hips as she scolded the Pokémon. "What if one of the neighbors complains? They might ship you off to the pound, or something worse!" She began to reach for the doorbell again, her finger growing closer...closer...Almost there...  
  
Pikachu had run out of options. "Pikachu!" the Pokémon leapt from the banister, snatched Misty's beautiful red handbag in midair, and hit the deck running as fast as it could.  
  
"Hey!" Misty took off after Pikachu, running back and forth across the yard trying to catch the playful power-packed Pokémon. "You come back here, you dirty little vermin!" She prayed that Ash wasn't watching this from his window, cackling at her misfortune. "When I catch you, I'm going to make a purse out of you!"  
* * *  
  
"Bro-ok, why can't we just use the shower?"  
  
Ash cowered in the bathtub, shivering; the poor trainer had been relieved of his clothes and was now under an aquatic assault. Brock stood opposite Ash on the other side of the tub's rim, commanding his friend's Wartortle. The feather-tailed turtle was spraying its own trainer with a devastating stream of freezing cold water while Brock ran a stiff bristled brush over Ash's skin. "No time for showers, we need to hurry." He glanced at his watch. "Three minutes left. Let's move!" He yanked Ash from the tub, still dripping and sputtering, pulling him up with one fluid motion and wrapping him in a towel. "C'mon, let's hurry."  
  
"Brock, we'll never make it!" Ash whined as his rocky friend dragged him across the hall and into his room. "I'm still sopping wet, and she's almost here." He glanced out the window, spotting Misty as she ran across the neighborhood after Pikachu. His Electric type had something small and red clutched in its forepaws, but he couldn't make it out at this distance. "It's hopeless."  
  
"You aren't quitting yet." Brock pulled one of Ash's Pokéballs off of the boy's dresser and activated it. "Let's get a move on, Charizard!" The containment device produced Ash's fiery, towering lizard of flames. Charizard snorted, sending a thin stream of fire out of its nostrils as it searched the room for trouble. All it could see was a sopping, dripping Ash and a stern, scowling Brock. "Charizard, dry Ash off with Flamethrower!"  
  
Charizard shrugged, complying. It sent a stream of not-too-hot flames out at Ash, instantly evaporating the water on the trainer's skin. Then it left the flame there just a half-second longer, simply for kicks. "Charizard!" Ash screamed, getting singed beneath the torrent of flames. The lizard chuckled, but stopped obediently. Ash, frazzled but dry, scowled at Charizard. "I saw that, buddy. You're pulling triple training for the next week." Charizard leered at Ash, sticking its long pink tongue out at the trainer.  
  
"Shut up, Ash, we don't have time." Brock threw Ash's tux at him, smacking the boy in the face with the black material. "Put this on, and hurry!" the burly Rock trainer turned around, his arms folded across his chest.  
  
"All right, all right."  
* * *  
  
Misty scratched her head thoughtfully, looking through the Ketchum's shrubbery. Now where had that nasty little rat gone? She had seen him run into the bushes..."Ah-ha!" she cried, jumping at one of the tiny plants. Before she could make it there, Pikachu shot out of the bushes at lightning speed with its Agility, a waning trail of sparks left in its wake. "Blast it, come back here!" she screamed, giving chase.  
  
"Pika-ka-pika!" Pikachu shot back, sticking out its tongue before continuing the chase. It desperately hoped that Ash was hurrying up. The poor mouse couldn't take much more.  
* * *  
  
"Are you done yet?"  
  
"Will you keep your pants on?" Ash grumbled, putting the finishing touches on his tux, "I'm done. Jeez."  
  
Brock turned around, looking at his watch. "Excellent. And we even have a minute to spareeeeeAUGHHHH!" Brock smacked his head with frustration. Ash's tuxedo was properly in place, he had no problems there. However, the filthy, battered cap that covered his head of tangled, slightly damp hair would be a challenge. "Ash, you moron, you can't wear your hat!"  
  
"Why not?" Ash grabbed his hat protectively. "This hat's like my best friend."  
  
"I'll try not to take offense at that..." Brock said dryly, snatching the hat off of his friend's cranium. He pulled another of Ash's Pokéballs from the dresser and opened it up. "Let's see what we can do." Pidgeot, Ash's gigantic bird Pokémon, was released from the ball with a gust of wind and a bright flash of energy.  
  
"Pidgyooooooo!" it trilled, whistling at Ash's get-up.  
  
Brock produced a small white handkerchief and stood behind Ash, folding the cloth into a small band. "Okay Pidgeot, Gust attack!"  
  
Pidgeot drew its wings back and blasted Ash with a powerful wave of air. Ash staggered slightly, squinting in the terrible torrent of Pidgeot's personal storm. His hair began fluttering back, flapping in Brock's face. As he had planned, Brock grabbed Ash's hair and wrapped it together, bunching it up and tying it with the pocket-handkerchief. "Okay Pidgeot, that'll do!" When the Flying type's hurricane died down, Ash's hair fell down in a neat, trim ponytail that hung just above his shoulder blades. Brock stepped back to look at his handiwork. "Not great, but it'll have to do."  
  
"So that's it, right?" Ash asked wearily, trying to recover from the windstorm. He leaned against Pidgeot, who nuzzled him and trilled happily.  
  
"Almost." Brock grinned. "I almost forgot the most important part." He pulled the last Pokéball from Ash's dresser.  
* * *  
  
Pikachu sat leaning against the house, panting pathetically. Misty had come dangerously close to catching him a dozen times in the last few minutes. It never though someone could move so fast in high heels! The electric mouse checked left, then right; nothing but bushes. It sighed heavily, adjusting the burdensome handbag that it had stolen. Thank goodness it had lost her-  
  
"GOTCHA!" Misty's cry took Pikachu completely by surprise as she leapt out of the bush closest of him, her slender fingers latching onto one end of the handbag. Pikachu tugged on it, but couldn't get it away from her. In desperation, it powered up for a Thundershock.  
  
"Piiiiii....Kaaaaa...."  
  
Misty's voice was low and malicious. "You do it, and it'll be the last spark you ever make. Got me?"  
  
"Piiiii." Pikachu powered down, cowering as it released the handbag. Misty 'hmmf'ed, standing up and throwing the strap of the bag onto her shoulder. She checked herself over once more to make sure she still looked perfect...well, presentable, anyway. Everything looked all right as far as she could see. Gathering up her courage and steeling her nerves, Misty strutted up to the door and reached for the doorbell...  
* * *  
  
"Okay Bulbasaur, give him a good shot!"  
  
Bulbasaur, Ash's tiny plant/frog Pokémon nodded, barking in understanding. "Bulba!" Drawing itself up to its full height, which was just over a foot, it let loose with a spray of organic herbs from the apex of its oversized bulb onto Ash. Ash shut his eyes, coughing, hardly daring to breathe. Then he took the tiniest of whiffs, preparing to be paralyzed or put to sleep. He opened one eye, taking a deeper breath.  
  
"Hey, that's not too shabby." He reached down, patting Bulbasaur on the head. The lizard-like Pokémon took the kudos with pride, rubbing against Ash's pant leg. "Great job, Bulbasaur. I didn't know you could do fragrances."  
  
Brock nodded. "Okay Bulbasaur, step two!"  
  
Bulbasaur squeezed its eyes shut, shivering with concentration. "Bullllll...Baaaaaaaaaa..." Ash took a step back cautiously, afraid that his poor Bulbasaur was going to explode, or something equally as unpleasant. "Saur!" Bulbasaur's eyes snapped open with triumph as a small flower sprang out of its bulb's opening. "Bulbasaur!"  
  
"Wow!" Ash applauded, plucking the flower from Bulbasaur's back. "That was awesome, Bulbasaur!" He looked at the tiny, delicate flower; it was s beautiful blue rose that almost shimmered in the twilight that seeped through the window. Each delicate petal curled upward, forming a breathtaking swirl in the center. The flower emitted a soft, sensual aroma that tickled Ash's sinuses with a pleasant tingling. "It's perfect!"  
  
Ash's heart froze as the two most wonderful tones rang throughout the house. *Ding-Dong! * He was unable to move, unable to breathe, for several seconds. His mind was racing; what would he say? What would he do?  
  
"I'll get it!" his mother's voice sang from out in the hall. She walked towards the stairs, humming a tune. Without warning, a blur of black and white shot past her, spinning her in place and moving down the stairs at superhuman speeds. "Oh dear!"  
  
Ash skidded as he hit the slick hardwood floor. His arms spun like pinwheels as he lost his balance, stumbling forward towards the door.  
* * *  
  
Misty tapped her toe with impatience, fidgeting uncomfortably. What if he didn't like the way she looked? What if he already found someone else to go with? She shook these thoughts away. 'Don't be stupid,' she thought, 'It's unthinkable that he found someone else. Isn't it?' Her hands were shaking as she wrung them. What was taking so long? She reached out to ring the doorbell again, wondering if anyone was home. Her hand jerked back as a loud thump shook the door. Something must've banged into it from the other side. After a moment, the door swung open. She put on her best, brightest smile, expecting to see Mrs. Ketchum. She was taken aback when it was Ash who stood on the other side of the doorframe.  
  
"Uh...hi." Ash mumbled.  
  
"Hi."  
  
Ash was absolutely stunned; He had never seen Misty look like this. Her dress was perfect. It was better than anything he could have imagined. The high collar looked almost regal...and her legs! His gaze traveled upwards, gazing upon every breathtaking inch. He had never really noticed how feminine Misty had become. She was beautiful! And her hair...her glorious, amazing red hair was gracefully curled atop her head, save for that single, wonderful braid she kept in front of her left ear. He knew he was staring...he just didn't care.  
  
Luckily for him, Misty didn't notice that he was staring. She was too busy taking her own looks. Incredible! His head was hatless, his hair drawn back in a manly ponytail. His tuxedo was perhaps a size too small...but that was only because he had grown so much since he wore it last. My, how he had grown! Misty couldn't believe it. After all this time, she had never realized just how masculine Ash had become. He was handsome! As her gaze drifted lower, she saw a beautiful blue rose clutched delicately between his fingers. Misty desperately hoped that the flower was for her.  
  
They would have stood there, content to stare at each other for hours, had Ash's mother not interrupted them. "Oh, Misty, you look wonderful! Doesn't she look 'wonderful', Ash?" she suggested heavily to her son as she descended the staircase.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah! I mean, uh, you look...great." Ash stuttered, straining to find the right words in his befuddled mind. Misty merely blushed, looking down at her feet without saying a word. "Really, uh, really great."  
  
Brock fell in step behind Mrs. Ketchum, plodding down the stairs eagerly. "Hey, looking good, Misty." he leaned against the doorframe. After another uncomfortable moment of silence, he kicked Ash in the back of the leg.  
  
"Oh, right." Ash held up the blue rose. "Here," he muttered into his chest, "This is for you."  
  
"Real smooth, Romeo." Brock muttered under his breath.  
  
Misty, however, wasn't phased by Ash's lack of verbal grace. "Thank you." she whispered, taking the rose from his hand. Her fingers brushed his, sending a jolt through them both. "It's beautiful." She placed the delicate flower in her hair, trying not to destroy the work that the stylist put into her head. Ash smiled, relieved that she liked it. He made a mental note to ask Dexter just what other tricks Bulbasaur was capable of. Thankfully, he had left the device up in his room; if this date was going to be a disaster, it was going to be Ash that screwed it up, not his jabbering Pokédex.  
  
Brock grinned, glad to see that things were finally falling into place. "Well, let's hop into the car and get moving!" he rubbed his hands together eagerly.  
  
"Actually, Brock, I'm afraid there won't be room enough for all of us in the car." Mrs. Ketchum walked into the kitchen and came out with a small tray of appetizers. "I thought Professor Oak would enjoy a platter of my Lemon-Sardine Twists, so I whipped one up. They'll have to go on the back seat, which means there'll only be room for two in the car." She smiled sweetly at Ash and Misty. "Would you two mind too terribly if you had to walk to the Master's Ball?"  
  
Brock snorted, taking the tray from Mrs. Ketchum's hands. "This tiny thing? Jeez, I could carry this on my lap, no problem!" He laughed. "We'll have plenty of room."  
  
"Now Brock, you know how delicate those Twists are." the elder Ketchum said slowly, hoping that Brock would catch on. "They'll have to sit on the back seat."  
  
"Really, Mrs. K, these things will be fine. I'm not sure why-" Ash's mother clipped the extremely dense teenager upside the head, trying to knock some sense into him. "Ohhhhh." He turned to the anxious lovers in the doorway. "Sorry, she's right. Looks like you'll have to hoof it to the Professor's." He winked at Mrs. Ketchum, who only rolled her eyes upward with frustration. She snatched the tray of edibles from Brock and walked out the front door, an unusual sway in her hips and a smile pursed on her lips. Brock followed suit, flashing a grin at Ash and Misty. "Don't take too long." He left his friends standing speechless, not sure of what to say or do.  
  
Pikachu hopped back up from the bushes, jumping onto the porch's railing with a grin on its face. "Pika!" It bounded into Ash's arms.  
  
"Hey!" Ash caught the mouse clumsily, staggering back. "I was wondering where you got to. Here, put this on." The trainer pulled a small black bow tie out of his jacket and handed it to Pikachu.  
  
Misty scowled at Pikachu, eyeing the mouse carefully. "You know Ash, Pikachu was acting really crazy a few minutes ago...I think maybe you might want to leave him home."  
  
"Crazy, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, he stole my purse!"  
  
Ash pretended to be shocked. "Pikachu! Bad Pikachu, bad! We'll see to your punishment after the dance, you little thief." Pikachu just moaned, glaring up at its trainer. Chances were good, it was going to be a long, 'long' evening.  
* * *  
  
Misty's heart raced as she walked side by side with Ash down the beaten path. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, casting a warm violet aura across the sky. The open fields and clearings smelled of wildflowers, giving off a pleasant aroma as they walked to Oak's lab. It was still and quiet, save for the gentle trilling of unseen Caterpie singing their songs of love and play in the forests beyond. With Ash at her side it made for a very romantic setting. It was like something out of a dream, or a dime-store romance novel marked down to a nickel. Fantastic fantasies played wistfully through her mind; Ash would hold her hand, clasping it tightly and walking shoulder to shoulder with her; Ash would wrap his arms around her waist, drawing her close in a gentle embrace; Ash's lips drew nearer to hers, his eyes filled with love, lust and desire as he kissed her... So just why wasn't the goofy little moron saying anything? He just walked alongside her, once in a while looking down at Pikachu, but never at her. Perhaps he needed a jump-start.  
  
"Ash..." Misty said in a full, throaty voice.  
  
Ash tried desperately to keep the shaking from his own voice as he answered. "Yeah?"  
  
"I...It's a beautiful evening, isn't it?" She hadn't really thought of what 'she' wanted to say, and was slightly embarrassed at her own hesitation. Her hand nervously clenched and unclenched by her side, shaking like a leaf. She forced it still, willing it to lay flat on her thigh as she prayed that Ash hadn't noticed her twitching and fumbling. She looked down at Ash's hand and was surprised to see it clenched tight, tight enough to turn his knuckles white. Why wasn't he holding her hand? She might have to take the initiative on this one. She let her hand slowly drift away from her hip. Slowly, very slowly, she let it move closer towards Ash. If she bumped into his hand...  
  
Ash's mind was racing every bit as fast as Misty's, though with half the confidence. His heart was pulling a double-time beat; it felt like it might leap out of his chest and bounce ahead of them. What should he do with his hand? He unclenched, relaxing his hand and letting it hang by his side. Very cautiously, very quietly, he let it jut out, just a little bit. Maybe if he brushed his hand against hers...   
  
Pikachu looked up from its place next to Ash, shaking its tiny, mousy head. Those two were hopeless; their eyes locked out in front, with their hands flapping around at their sides trying to find the other's hand. It was laughable at best, and this was most definitely not their best. It was time for Pikachu to take matters into its own claws. "Pika!" Pikachu leapt upwards, latching onto each of their hands simultaneously. At first, they both jumped, thinking that the other had taken their hand. Then they looked down.  
  
"Pikachu!" Misty cried out, failing to keep the disappointment out of her voice.  
  
Ash looked down at his thunderous partner. "What're you doing, Pikachu?"  
  
"Cha!" Pikachu grunted, taking either hand and slapping them together. The tiny mouse dropped to the ground, grinning at its own ingenuity.  
  
For a moment, Ash and Misty stared down at their intertwined hands with shock. Red slowly seeped into Ash's complexion, his face becoming uncomfortably warm. Misty blushed as well, giving Ash a small smile. Ash cleared his throat uneasily, "Well, if he's that insistent, how can we refuse?" he rationalized lamely.  
  
"How indeed?" Misty chuckled, sighing happily. For the rest of the walk, they remained in silence. Neither one felt that it was the right time to say anything. They maintained the blissful silence, linked tightly hand-in-hand.  
* * *  
  
"Ash! Misty! So glad you could make it."  
  
Professor Oak greeted his young friends at the door with a warm smile, bowing politely. "Welcome to the Indigo Master's Ball, Mr. Ketchum and Ms. Waterflower. So pleased that you could make it." He clapped his hands together, rubbing them vigorously.  
  
"Uh, gee..." Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck with embarrassment. Pikachu looked up at Oak, puzzled at the researcher's formality. "Thanks, I guess. Why the polite act, Professor?" Misty jabbed Ash with her elbow. She gave him a quick scowl, then looked back to Oak with a gracious smile splayed across her lips.  
  
"Thank you for your auspicious hospitality, Professor Oak." Misty thanked him, bowing humbly.  
  
Oak clapped his friends on the back. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, why don't you check your Pokémon and start the fun?"  
  
"Check our Pokémon?" They harmonized in confusion, each reaching for his or her Pokéballs.  
  
Oak nodded. "We have a one-Pokémon-per-trainer rule at this year's dance. No exceptions, I'm afraid." He held his hand out expectantly. With a great deal of hesitation and reluctance, Ash unstrapped his belt and handed it to the aging scientist. Misty reached into her purse, drawing out a single Pokéball, then handing the handbag over.  
  
Togepi was released from its ball, popping back into existence with a bright flash. Misty looked over to Ash and shrugged. "Might as well keep one that's travel-size."  
  
Oak pocketed the lose spheres and threw Ash's belt over his shoulder. "You may want to go around the building, the inside is quite crowded. I had no idea so many people showed up to these things!" They stood in silence for a moment. Oak scowled, "What do you think you're doing here, talking to a foolish old man while there's fun to be had? Get going!" he turned them around and gave them a hearty push in the right direction. Somehow Misty managed to maintain her precarious balance atop her ruby pumps, mostly through clinging to Ash's arm. Pikachu and Togepi scrambled after their trainers as the couple made their way around the gigantic research laboratory.  
  
Ash sighed, swallowing the last of his fear. This wasn't nearly as difficult as he thought it would be. A hint of a smile came back to his expression as he led the way around towards the rear of the building. "I wonder why the Professor's so worked up." he quipped. "After all, the Master's Ball isn't that big of a-" as they rounded the corner, Ash's voice became a squeak, "Deal..."  
  
'Romantic' didn't begin to describe the setting that Oak had constructed for this year's Ball. The lighting-if one could call it such a thing-was a handful of burning lamps, casting mysterious shadows across the flat, packed-in earth and accenting the bright moonlight. There was just enough light to see a person's face if you were very, 'very' close. Tables dotted the perimeter of the dance floor, each one tucked away inconspicuously. A DJ's table rested against the rear of the house, piping music into dozens of speakers set up in as many locations. Several groups of trainers mingled here and there, with a minority swaying gently to the music across the main stage area.  
  
"Ash, is something wrong?" Misty asked, looking at him with concern. She was just as surprised with the transmutation of Oak's field as Ash was, but took it much better. "Ash? Ash, are you all right?"  
  
"Fine." his voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he tried again, "Fine." He pretended to look around, searching for something, all the while re-gathering his nerves and trying to swallow the fear that had vomited back into his soul with a vengeance. "Have you seen Brock anywhere?"  
  
Misty's sensitive ears rang with a grating, high-pitched laughter that made her cringe. "Oh God, who is that? She sounds like Meowth, but even that freaking cat was never that irritating..."  
  
"That's Brock's date." Ash said glumly, trying to pin the source of the laughter.  
  
"You're kidding."  
  
"I wish. C'mon." He lead her, along with their Pokémon, over to one of the mingling groups. As expected, Brock and Gracie were conversing with a gaggle of trainers. Oak's newest assistant was thoroughly enjoying herself. Brock, on the other hand, appeared to be in need of several sets of earplugs.  
  
"Oh, Brockie, that was such a funny story." Gracie's horrible voice grated between laughs. "Oh, I could laugh all night! HA!"  
  
"My...pleasure." Brock muttered. His face brightened when he saw his two friends walking up. "Ash! Misty!" he waved them over. "Gracie, you remember Ash...and this is Misty, his girlfriend." Misty punched Brock on the arm, but didn't bother to deny anything. "Say, Gracie," he looked to his date, taking her hands, "Would you like some punch?"  
  
"Oh, I'd love some!"  
  
"Great, the table's over there." he pointed towards the house. "I'll take one too."  
  
"Oh...okay." his date blinked.  
  
Misty chuckled, taking Gracie's hand. "C'mon, I'll give you a hand. Ash, keep an eye on Togepi." She led the research assistant off, leaving Ash and Brock alone.  
  
Brock waited until they were out of earshot, then slumped over, sighing with relief. "Thank the Goddess." he groaned.  
  
"What's the matter, Brock?" Ash ribbed him, "I thought you just had to get past her voice to see the beautiful person that she is. Don't tell me that you're as shallow as me now."  
  
Brock gave him a glare that would make a gargoyle blink. "I stand by what I said, Ketchum. The only trouble is, I'm still trying to get past the voice!" Ash laughed, patting the Rock Master on the back. Together, they went to sit at one of the tables on the edge of the clearing. "It's rough, buddy, and not just on me." He whistled, calling Vulpix over. The poor fox Pokémon popped out from under a chair, trotting over to its trainer and jumping into his lap. Brock stroked Vulpix's reddish-brown fur. "The poor little guy went off like a shot as soon as she said "hello". I don't know if he'll ever be the same."  
  
Ash picked up Pikachu and Togepi, placing them on the table. Pikachu queried Vulpix with a 'pika'. The fox merely shuddered, snuggling deeper into Brock's lap. Ash shook his head. "Yeah, well, you aren't the only one with problems. What am I gonna do?"  
  
"What do you mean? You're here at the dance, so you dance. Isn't it simple enough?"  
  
Ash snorted, throwing up his hands. "How?"  
  
"Exactly how dense are you?" Brock swatted Ash upside the head. "You go over to her, you say something to the effect of "Hey, let's dance," and you dance!"  
  
"Um..." Ash blushed nervously.  
  
"Oh God." Brock's voice grew low and deadly as he whispered hoarsely to Ash. "Tell me you know how to dance."  
  
Ash remained still for a moment. "Are we talking about traditional festival dancing?"  
  
Brock face-faulted, letting his head drop against the metallic surface of the table. "Why me? Why always me?"  
  
"Think you could teach me?"  
  
"You're on your own for this one."  
  
"Ketchum!" a partially familiar voice barked, catching their attention. Ash looked over with dread, praying that it wasn't who he knew it to be. Standing before them was a quartet of trainers: a young, aqua-haired vixen with round rimmed glasses; a towering man-mass of muscle and power; an ancient, slight old woman with snow white hair and a plethora of wrinkles; a mysterious tall figure with spiked hair and a cape adorning his shoulders. It had been the vixen whom had spoken, scowling at Ash with a mixture of loathing and arrogance.  
  
"Lorelei..." Ash nodded to the younger woman, continuing on to greet the rest of the Elite Four. "Agatha...Bruno...Lance..." Bruno was the only one to greet Ash back, giving him a smile and a nod. Pikachu growled at the foursome, sparking at the cheeks. "What brings you here?"  
  
"What do you think?" Lorelei snapped at him. "We just thought we'd greet the 'current' League Champion." she stressed the word "current", sneering at him. "I hope you're doing well on that insane quest of yours."  
  
Ash sighed. "Look, is there a reason you came over here, or are you just going to stand there and get on my nerves?"  
  
Agatha shook her cane at Ash angrily. "We've had just about enough of you, boy. You're a menace to the League. Lucky for us, you're on your way out!"  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Brock's voice rose in defense of his friend.  
  
"Young Gary Oak is the favorite to win this year." Lorelei said matter-of-factly. "I have a feeling you won't find it so easy this time, Ketchum."  
  
"They said that four years ago, Lorelei. I wouldn't count your champions before they win."  
  
Lance had stood quietly the entire time, like an ominous statue. He chose to speak up, talking with low, guttural tones. "You lose." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. Lorelei and Agatha quickly followed, giving Ash one last scowl for good measure before taking their leave. Bruno chose to remain behind, gesturing in apology with his massive hands.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, Ash." He chuckled, extending his hand. "You know, they really do hate you." he chuckled. Ash gladly took the man's hand, trying to match the powerhouse's grip as Bruno pumped his hand up and down.  
  
"It's okay, Master Bruno." Ash said warmly. "I'm used to it by now."  
  
Bruno's face grew serious. "You might want to be careful, my young friend. Gary Oak has sworn to take the League Championship from you this year, at any cost."  
  
Ash waved the large man off, scoffing, "Gary's just a big bag of wind. I can handle him, 'and' the misaffections of those three." He smiled. "Thanks for the warning, though. I imagine it isn't easy to be my only friend among the Elite Four."  
  
Bruno laughed. "Your friendship comes at a high price, Ash."  
  
"Tell me about it." Brock quipped, grinning. This drew a grunting chuckle from Bruno, which soon grew into raucous laughter. Brock joined him, slapping the larger man across his broad shoulders. Ash couldn't help but smile, adding to their laughter with his own.  
* * *  
  
Misty poured up the second glass of punch, being very careful around her brand new dress. Gracie sighed with pure content, already possessing her two cups of fruit juice. "Oh, this is such a magical evening. Brock is just the cutest guy, isn't he?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. Cute, right." Misty grunted, glancing back. What was her damage?  
  
"Hey, you. What's your name, Hazy?" An obnoxious and all-too-familiar voice taunted her from behind.  
  
Misty cringed, dropping the glass into the punchbowl. "The name is 'Misty', Gary Oak." she swore under her breath, trying to resist the urge to pound the living daylights out of the smug trainer standing behind her. "What brings you out from under your rock at this hour?"  
  
"Oh, sharp wit. Careful you don't put your eye out with it." Gary winked at her. He was clad similarly to Ash; a black, spotless tuxedo with his customary good-luck pendant hanging around his neck. A pair of his vapid, airhead cheerleaders stood on either side of him, grinning like mindless dolls. "Misty it is, then."  
  
Gracie gave Gary a warm smile. "Hi there. Are you a friend of Ash and Misty's? My name is Gracie." She obviously hadn't had the displeasure of being introduced to the Professor's grandson yet.  
  
"That's great. Go tell someone who cares." Gary waved her off, slipping his arms around his cheerleaders' waists. Gracie became flustered, stuttering and backpedaling quickly. Once she was gone, Gary waved his cheerleaders off. The girls obediently stood off to the side, like trained dogs, or those Seel you could see at Discount Sea Land. "So, you actually showed up for the dance this year, did you?"  
  
"That's right." Misty turned her nose upward, fishing the dropped glass out of the punchbowl.  
  
Gary's gaze traveled down Misty's set of sensual curves. "Glad you did."  
  
"Really." Misty 'hmmf'ed, finally retrieving the sunken glass.  
  
Gary smiled warmly, placing his hand on her shoulder. Misty instantly stiffened, dropping the glass into the punch once more. "Oh yeah. You know, I've had my eye on you for quite a time now..." He took another look up and down, "And I gotta tell ya, I like what I see."  
  
Misty turned to face him, coming in close. Gary's hand tightened on her taut, muscled shoulder as she drew in closer to him. She gave him her sexiest smile, leaning in close until her mouth was right next to his ear. She began to whisper softly, "Gary, I'll give you exactly three seconds to let me go. After that, I'm going to make you cry like a little girl." The arrogant teen immediately released her, taking a step back. Misty gave him a wink, which caused him to scowl.  
  
"I wouldn't take my affections so lightly, Waterflower." he said, holding up a finger in warning. "Big things are coming my way, and I could use someone to ride to the top with me."  
  
"So get another cheerleader, Oak. I'm not up for grabs."  
  
Gary sneered, regaining his air of confidence. "That's right, I forgot; you're Ash's little slave girl."  
  
"I can still make you cry, Oak."  
  
He folded his arms across his chest. "Think about it; what can that little twerp offer you that I can't give you ten times over?" Misty's mouth opened, then promptly closed as she became stuck for an answer. She turned red with fury, glaring at Gary without a word. "That's what I thought." he said smugly.  
* * *  
  
Ash stopped, already halfway to where Misty stood. It was tough to pick her out in the dim lighting among the crowd...there, standing by the punchbowl. She was talking to someone; who was she talking to? He squinted, trying to make out the person. It was a man; he had brown hair...spiked. Gary! Why on Earth was Misty talking to that big bag of wind? She seemed agitated enough...Wait! He watched as Gary put his hand on Misty's bare shoulder. She turned to face him...they drew in close...  
  
"What in blazes?" Ash growled, feeling the fury build up in him. His teeth gritted together as he saw the two standing intimately together. "Pikachu," he addressed his Poké-partner standing by his ankle, "Can you hit Gary with a Thunder Blast without frying Misty from here? Before Pikachu could respond, Ash was surprised from behind, grabbed by the shoulders and spun around without warning.  
  
"Sur-prise, honey!" Ash's mom cried with excitement as she hugged Ash tightly. Ash had just enough time to yelp with surprise before his mother's grip squeezed all the air out of him. "So, how are things going? Didn't Professor Oak do a fantastic job with the décor? Where's Misty?"  
  
Ash gasped, finally breaking his mother's iron grip. Coughing, he pointed over towards the refreshment table. "She's over there." he grumbled, "With Gary." He felt like washing out his mouth after saying 'His' name in the same sentence with 'Her' name.  
  
Ash's mom frowned, looking over; Gary and Misty appeared to be having a heated discussion. From the looks of it, Misty was having a very hard time keeping herself reigned in. "So? What are you waiting for?"  
  
Ash snorted. "What's the point? She's-"  
  
Before he could get another word out, his mother grabbed his ear and yanked on it, bringing him painfully close. "Now you listen to me, Ashlan Terrance Ketchum: that girl has been through a lot to be here with you, and I'm not just talking about the beauty salon." Ash tried to squirm free, but his mother held fast to his ear. "Now here is what you're going to do; you're going to go over there, you're going to rescue her from Gary's clutches, and you are going to show that girl the most romantic evening she's ever had. Understand?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"UNDERSTAND?" Ash nodded weakly. "Good." His mother released her hold on his ear, relieving the immense pressure. Ash sullenly rubbed his ear as his mother smiled down upon him serenely. "You'd better hurry, chop-chop!"  
  
Ash managed a small smile. "Yes, mother."  
* * *  
  
"Get lost, slime ball."  
  
Gary smirked, blocking Misty's escape route. "You still don't get it, do you?" He winked at Misty, who threw him a withering glare. "This is your last chance for salvation from Ash." His arms folded across his chest. "What's he got on you to make you follow him around like a trained Growlithe, anyway?  
  
"I have my reasons." Misty shot back. She tried to go around him, but he still blocked her path. The Mistress of Water had taken nearly all she was going to take from this piece of tripe; Professor Oak or no Professor Oak, she wasn't afraid to beat him within an inch of his life. "Will you 'please' get out of my way?"  
  
Gary didn't budge. "I'm not moving until-"  
  
"Beat it, Oak." Ash placed a hand on Gary's shoulder from behind. "The lady is with me."  
  
Gary whirled around, his fists at the ready. "Well well well, if it isn't our hailed League Champion." the towering trainer spat. "I was just engaging the lovely lady in conversation." He glared at Ash, who glared back at Gary.   
  
Ash pointedly walked over to Misty, taking her arm and linking it with his. Misty blushed at this, surprised that Ash would make such a bold move. "Let's not play games, Oak; you don't like me, and I definitely don't like you. But leave her out of this, got it?"  
  
Gary 'hmmf'ed, snapping his fingers. Obediently, his cheerleaders raced to his side and linked their arms around his waist. "Whatever you say, Ashy-Boy. It doesn't matter anymore; I've already won."  
  
"Won?" Ash asked, confused.  
  
Gary looked at either of his cheerleaders, then back at the couple. "You must not play Poker, Ash. If you did, you'd know that three of a kind always beats a pair of losers!" With that, he strutted off with cheerleaders in hand, laughing at his own twisted joke.  
  
Misty sighed in relief. "Thank God." she groaned. "And thank you, Ash. I thought he'd never leave." She leaned over, kissing Ash on the cheek. The poor befuddled trainer turned three different shades of red, his eyes wide with shock.  
  
"I-I-I-I...It was n-nothing." Ash stuttered. He swallowed hard, trying to keep calm. His pulse must have been going at five times its normal rate, and his palms were uncomfortably sweaty. "S-s-s-so..."  
  
Misty looked down, abashed. "Yeah?"  
  
The compound filled with a slow, rhythmic beat, softly playing from the surrounding speakers. They could feel the bass notes beating in their bones, sending a tingling sensation up their spines. Ash looked at Misty, struggling to find the words. "Would...Uh, would you...with the moving, and the swaying...I mean, uh, would you..." he looked helplessly out at the dance floor, then back at her. "Uh, would you like...to..." Frazzled, he turned another three shades of crimson as he scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment.  
  
Misty giggled, taking Ash's hand. "I'd love to dance." Together they moved from the sidelines into the very heart of the dance floor, making their way around the other couples that had picked up the beat themselves. Misty looked longingly into Ash's eyes as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her heart skipping a beat. Ash, however, merely held her on either side of the hips, keeping her at a distance. They began to sway awkwardly, not even remotely in any semblance of unison and without grace or coordination as the precious music played on.  
  
'Oh man, I hope I'm doing this right...' Ash prayed silently. He narrowly avoided planting his huge feet on Misty's delicate toes, managing to throw them further out of sync. Swallowing his pride, he continued on, trying to make conversation. "I...uh, I really can't believe what a great job the Professor did with the place. It's really...great."  
  
Misty frowned. 'What in the world is he doing? There's enough space between us for a third person, for heaven's sake!' This wasn't at all the romantic dance she had envisioned with Ash. 'It's almost like...' Realization dawned on Misty as Ash stumbled once more, keeping her at an even greater distance. 'He doesn't know how to-'  
  
"Maybe Professor Oak'll have some new upgrades for Dexter...something I can use for the league, or-"  
  
"Ash." Misty said softly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Misty stepped in close, pressing up against her secret desire as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Ash took a sharp breath in, his nervousness duplicating itself again and again in the blink of an eye. Misty leaned her face in, nearly touching his nose with hers. She looked deep into his eyes, deep into his twin amber seas.  
  
"Just shut up and hold me." She laid her head against his shoulder, melting into him. Ash's nervousness, his anxiety, vanished in a heartbeat. He smiled, encompassing her waist with his arms and keeping her close.  
  
"I think I can handle that."  
* * *  
  
Meowth whistled, impressed with the setup in the clearing of the Oak Compound. "Wow, dat's some setup da Geezer's got der." His head peeked over the ridge on the northwest end, surveying the target area. The talking cat Pokémon turned back to his partners, expressing his doubts. "I dunno, dat place is crawling with da best trainers for sixty miles. Do we really wanna try to rob dem?"  
  
Jessie waved him off, laughing softly. "Meowth, don't be silly. The twerp and his Pikachu are ripe for the picking."  
  
"Besides," James added, "They may be able to beat three of us-"  
  
Jessie cackled malevolently, finishing James' sentence, "But let's see how they do against three dozen of us." Together they looked back at the small army of black-clad figures, blending in with the dark surroundings of the night. Their Rocket soldiers grunted, saluting Jessie and James and readying their Pokémon.  
  
Meowth rubbed his paws together. "Let's see who blasts off this time, twerp! Ha ha!"  
* * *  
  
Brock looked on at his friends, dancing among the crowd. He very much doubted they were even listening to the music anymore. Mrs. Ketchum stood at his side, happily observing the same situation, with the same conclusion. She looked over at her younger friend. "We do good work, Brock."  
  
"That we do." Brock agreed with a grin. Then he frowned, checking left and right with just a hint of panic in his expression. "Uh-oh."  
  
"Brock, what's wrong?"  
  
Before Brock could answer, Gracie's voice rang across the area in search of her date. Several people cringed, while others fled in fear. "Brocky, where are you? You promised me a dance, my sweet little Brocky!"  
  
Brock shuddered, looking at Ash's mother with dread. "Hide me." he pleaded. Mrs. Ketchum laughed, taking Brock's hand and dragging him onto the dance floor. Before Brock could even blush with embarrassment, she placed his hands on her hips, then took hold of his shoulders and began to dance with him. The poor Rock trainer looked as if he was going to have a heart attack, but he kept his mouth shut as Gracie drew nearer.  
  
"Excuse me..." Gracie tapped Mrs. Ketchum on the shoulder as she swayed with Brock in her arms. She successfully managed to block Brock from Gracie's view, keeping him out of sight of Oak's young assistant. "I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen a tall, dark man with pointy hair walk by here?" Mrs. Ketchum shook her head, smiling. "I'm sorry, please forgive me." Gracie bowed, walking off to continue her search.  
  
Brock heaved a sigh of relief, looking at Ash's mom with gratitude. "Thanks a lot, Mrs. K. I thought I was a goner there, for a sec." He paused for a moment as they continued to dance. "Um, you know, you don't have to dance with me anymore...I can probably avoid Gracie all night now."  
  
"Don't be silly, Brock." Mrs. Ketchum's laughter rang lightly like a beautiful bell, "I haven't been dancing in ages. You're quite good, you know." She winked at him. "Every woman likes to have someone big and strong hold onto her once in a while, you know."  
  
"M-M-M-Mrs. K!" Brock wheezed, his face turning as red as his Vulpix.  
  
She laughed again, this time at his embarrassment. "You're so easy, Brock. Don't worry, I don't want to marry you. Just keep dancing, you big lug." She hugged him tightly, giving him a peck on the cheek.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Brock gulped.  
* * *  
  
Misty sighed softly with content, happier now than she had ever been. At long last, the romantic evening she had envisioned with Ash had come true. She wasn't sure how long they had been dancing; she didn't care. For all she knew, the music had already stopped, but she didn't care. Lifting her head off of Ash's shoulder, she met his soft, amber eyes with her own aquamarine gaze. There was a spark in his eye, a glimmer that she could remember from their days together, long since past. 'Oh God,' she thought, 'He's going to kiss me...' Closing her eyes, her head leaned slowly forward, crimson lips pursed.  
  
Ash, in the meantime, was completely unaware of his 'glimmer'. 'Oh God,' he thought, as Misty's lips drew nearer, 'She's going to kiss me. Oh God, oh God, oh God...'  
  
'How should I handle this?' Misty's mind raced, 'I gotta make sure this is perfect...should I leave my mouth open?'  
  
'Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God...'  
  
'What about my tongue?' She paused for a half-second. 'Will that just make me seem easy? But if I don't, he'll think I'm cold...'  
  
'OhGodohGodohGodohGod...'  
  
Misty swallowed, taking a deep breath. 'Okay, here goes...' she leaned in again. Her fingertips caressed the back of Ash's neck, teasing him playfully.  
  
Ash closed his eyes, praying. 'Oh God, if ever you've helped me to not ruin the moment and screw everything up, let it be now.' His head jutted forward awkwardly, searching for Misty's lips.   
  
After an eternity...  
  
after only a brief instant...  
  
After ages of desire and hope...   
  
Their lips gently brushed together...  
  
"Ha haha hahahaaaaaa!" a high-pitched, obnoxious laughter filled the compound from above, tearing the eyes of young couples skyward and interrupting the most important moment in Ash and Misty's life. They separated, looking up at the dark night sky. A huge, hideous balloon that resembled the disembodied head of a Meowth hung a mere fifty feet above the dance floor. A Pokémon who greatly resembled the balloon hung over the edge of the basket, cackling at the people below. "Get ready for a biiiig surprise, chumps!" Meowth gloated. As he chortled, a pair of ominous figures leapt from the basket, traversing the fifty-foot span with the help of gravity.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie landed on one knee unhurt, having had great practice at falling over the years. She rose, sneering at the trainers present at the dance.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation." James followed suit, coming down in a forward roll and tossing out his Pokéball. Weezing, his gaseous, hideous collection of toxins, was released from the containment sphere with a bright flash of light.  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love," Jessie released her Lickitung. A pink, clownish lizard produced from the wash of sparkling energy, giving the crowd a four-foot long raspberry with its floppy tongue.  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above." Weezing began spraying a thick fog of black smoke, blinding the masses with a choking haze.  
"Jessie!"   
  
"James!"  
  
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"  
  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"  
  
Meowth leapt from the balloon, landing on James' head. Poor James was driven to the ground, his cranium smashed into the relatively firm dirt. "Meowth, that's right!" Meowth exclaimed, taking his bows atop the mass of blue hair beneath his feet. James promptly stood, grabbing Meowth and flinging him away.  
  
"Now, hand over all your wonderfully trained Pokémon, 'Masters', or we'll have to have a ball!" Jessie cackled. Most of the trainers shrunk back in fear. Three of the trainers, however, refused to back down.  
  
"Don't you have anywhere better to be?" Ash coughed and choked on the thick Smokescreen that Weezing had laid out for them. "Like somewhere far, far away?" Pikachu was back at his side, sparking at the cheeks and grinning with the prospect of some action.  
  
Misty stood by him, trying to appear as menacing as she could as she wobbled atop high heels. "That's right! You've blown it for...uh...a lot of young couples in love!" She picked up Togepi, scowling at Team Rocket.  
  
Brock and Vulpix managed to spot the malevolent trio through the haze as well. "And now we're gonna blow it for you guys!"  
  
"Vul!"  
  
Jessie placed a hand over her mouth in mock-fear. "Oh no, it's the twerps. I guess we're done for now."  
  
James folded his arms, grinning. "Psyche!" He snapped his fingers. Within an instant, dozens of figures dressed entirely in black began to pour from the balloon's basket, like clowns coming out of a small car. Before they could say "outnumbered" there was a small army of them, standing between Team Rocket and Ash's crew. "We brought along a few other friends, courtesy of Team Rocket."  
  
Meowth blew a shrill whistle. "Now go get 'em, boys!" The black army gave their leaders a grunt, then ran forward, releasing their Pokémon.  
  
Ash's eyes widened as the Rocket assault force charged them, easily outnumbering them a dozen to one. "Ho-boy..."  
* * *  
  
Professor Oak stood inside of his research lab, watching the scene unfold from his upper-level window with a knowing smile on his face. Outnumbered or not, he knew that Team Rocket would be getting away empty-handed tonight. The old man looked over at the storage rack he had set up for the dance, filled to the brim with all kinds of Pokéballs. It was his responsibility to guard them from the Rockets, who would be arriving-  
  
The door to the lab flew in, followed by a pair of the black Rocket grunts and their Pokémon; a Sandslash and a disgruntled Poliwrath. Once inside, the Rockets took one look at Oak and began laughing. Taking out a whip, the one in front addressed the Professor with as much contempt as possible.  
  
"Okay old man, hand over those Pokéballs and we'll let you get back to bed." he cackled maliciously, cracking the whip in the air.  
  
Oak chuckled, facing the two miscreants. "I'm afraid you picked the wrong laboratory to rob, my impetuous young friends." He snapped his fingers, then turned around with an air of confidence. The Rockets took a step forward, trying to convince the geezer of the danger he was in.  
  
"Listen old man-" Before he could finish his threat, the lackey was cut off by a pair of very disturbing sounds.  
  
"M-m-m-muk!"  
  
"Koo-Kieeeeee!"  
  
In an instant, a large, toxic Muk and a huge Kingler appeared from thin air, standing between the Rockets and Professor Oak. They leered menacingly at the intruders, snapping and oozing towards the unwanted guests.  
  
"Kingler, Muk, please show these gentlemen how we treat unwelcome guests."  
  
The crab and pile of goo complied happily, snarling at the Rockets. Uncertain of these new players, Sandslash and Poliwrath backed up slowly until they were up against the wall. Their trainers did the same.  
  
"Koo-kie!"  
  
"Nooooooooooo!"  
* * *  
  
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"  
  
The electrifying lightning mouse sprang forward, powering up. Being on the front lines, Pikachu had its pick among the plentiful targets; Golem, Rapidash, Rhyhorn...the army of Rockets had an impressive array. "Pika!" The thunder mouse let loose with a devastating blast of electricity, blasting the front line; a half-dozen fell, only to be replaced by another wave. Pikachu backed up desperately as a Vileplume charged it, spraying a cloud of Stun Spore.  
  
"Vulpix, Fire Wall now!" Brock ordered. Vulpix barked, spraying a searing column of flame across the ground between Pikachu and the Vileplume, turning the ground into a molten channel. Before the gigantic flower could stop, the red-hot earth began spewing flames, sending a vertical wall of red fire upwards. Vileplume ran through the fire, catching aflame. It began screeching, running around frantically.  
  
"Thanks Brock." Ash wiped his brow, then turned back to the battle. The Golem and Rapidash were bearing down on Pikachu, trying to catch the mouse from either side. "Pikachu, Thunder Spin!"  
  
Pikachu began to rotate, scrunching down and crackling with power. When Golem and Rapidash were almost on top of it, Pikachu's electricity exploded outward, catching the living boulder and the fire horse in a whirling tornado of lightning. Rapidash was electrocuted, screeching in pain as it fell to the ground, writhing and twitching. Golem, immune to the voltage, was thrown violently into the air, only to land on its trainer several feet away. Pikachu stopped the attack, panting with exhaustion. Unfortunately, Team Rocket was just warming up. The mouse leapt back into the fray, with Vulpix hot on its heels.  
  
"Ash!" Misty yelled, catching one of the Rocket trainers on the jaw with her left hook while holding Togepi in her right arm, "This isn't working! Pikachu and Vulpix are getting tired, and we're still outnumbered! We need our other Pokémon."  
  
Ash growled, watching as Pikachu and Vulpix battled with at least a dozen Pokémon, each one bigger and meaner than the last. Pikachu was obviously tiring, and Vulpix's fire was cooling off. "We don't 'have' our other Pokémon right now!" He turned back to the cowering crowd, still huddled in the shadows. "How about some backup, huh?" Ash screamed at them, but none of them were willing to risk their Pokémon to fight the infamous Team Rocket.  
  
A brawny man stepped forward, the crowd parting to accommodate his impossibly broad shoulders. "I'll help." Bruno said, pulling out his single Pokémon. "And so will Hitmonchan!" Tossing the ball, he released his Hitmonchan. The piston-punching Pokémon was produced from the Pokéball with a wash of bright light.  
  
"Chan!"  
  
"Hitmonchan, it's time to mix it up!" Bruno said, pulling off his tuxedo jacket and ripping the sleeves off of his shirt. Together, they bounded into the fray, swinging madly. A few of the Rockets backed up, frightened of the newcomer. Several of them pulled their Pokémon from the battle, running for the balloon. The rest of them, however, charged forward, trying to overpower to brawny fighter.  
  
Lorelei clenched her fist tightly, shaking it at the Rockets. "We can't just let Bruno have all the fun, now can we?" Pulling out their Pokéballs, the rest of the Elite Four joined the battle.  
  
"Cloyster!"  
  
"Gengar!"  
  
"Dragonair, go!"  
  
Together, their three Pokémon helped turn the tide of battle; Gengar began encircling the remaining Rockets, scaring the daylights out of them with its gleeful cackling and insane ranting. In the meantime, Cloyster and Dragonair were freezing up the competition with their Ice Beams. Soon, a large group of Rocket trainers, with their Pokémon, occupied a large chunk of ice in the center of the dance floor. Only Jessie and James remained, sweating nervously with their Lickitung and Weezing.  
  
Bruno started forward for the panicking Rockets, but Ash stopped him with an outstretched arm. He was fuming, his face red with fury. "Hold on a second, Bruno; these clowns are mine. I have a score to settle." Bruno hesitated, then nodded, giving Ash an encouraging smirk.  
  
"Hope a little guy like you can handle them." he chuckled.  
  
Pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder, giving him a 'Pika' of readiness. Ash flashed Bruno a quick grin. "Just watch." He ran out, screaming a battle charge. Brock, Misty and Bruno stood in his wake, shaking their heads.  
  
"Is he always like this?" Bruno asked, laughing. Misty just sighed, stars in her eyes as she admired the would-be hero.  
  
"You have no idea." Brock muttered. Then he frowned, looking around. "Wait a minute, where's Meowth?"  
  
"Hahahahahaaa!" The cat sprang from the shadows, leaping at the group with his claws extended. Before they could react, Meowth ripped little Togepi from Misty's arms and sprinted off, the egg child crying and wailing as it was jostled away from its mother.  
  
"Togepi!" Misty screamed in horror, her arms outstretched.  
* * *  
  
"Lickitung, slurp that stupid rat silly!"  
  
Lickitung charged at Pikachu, slurping wildly. "Licki!" Pikachu flew up into the air, countering with Agility. Before the pink gecko could react, Pikachu let loose with a dazzling Swift attack from above, catching Lickitung in the head. Lickitung staggered, dazed from the blow to the noggin, and tripped over its own tongue. "Lick..." It lay on the ground, slumped over, tongue hanging limply out of its mouth.  
  
Pikachu smirked, landing nimbly on its toes. "Pi-pi-chu!" It razzed Lickitung. As it gloated, James' Weezing was able to sneak up from behind, catching it with a Tackle. "Cha!" Pikachu was lifted up off of the ground, riding up on Weezing as the bag of gasses drove it upward.  
  
"Pikachu!" Ash growled. James merely stood there, laughing as he twirled his rose. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"  
  
Pikachu charged up, blasting Weezing with a barrage of electricity. Weezing screeched as it spun out of control, crashing into one of the torches. Pikachu bailed out as the Poison type caught fire, escaping the shrieking ball of flame. James ran over to his poor Pokémon, beating the fire out with his jacket. Weezing whimpered pathetically as its trainer lifted the hefty set of spheres. Jessie had her own battered Pokémon in her arms, rejoining James.  
  
"You'll pay for this some day, boy!" James grumbled at Ash as he pulled his back trying to lift Weezing.  
Jessie looked at their troops; the ones that hadn't been knocked unconscious by the Elite Four were retreating towards the balloon, pushing and shoving each other out of the way. "Uh, maybe some 'other' day, James." Jessie lamented, returning Lickitung to its Pokéball.  
  
"Maybe you're right, Jessie." They gave Ash a smile and a wave, then began sprinting for their Meowth balloon. After much shoving, biting and clawing, the entire Rocket regiment had piled into the balloon and lifted off, floating lazily towards the night sky. Meowth shoved several of the black lackeys aside, making his way over towards Jessie and James.  
  
"Well, we may not have gotten Pikachu..." the cat said, "But I still got dis!" He held up Togepi, who was trilling pleasantly, emitting a soft, strange light.  
  
"Meowth!" Jessie squealed, clasping her hands together, "That's wonderful!"  
  
"At least we're not leaving empty-handed," James sighed. Then he raised an eyebrow at Togepi, who was glowing even brighter. "Say, I don't remember this thing being a night light, do you?"  
"It sort of looks like..." Jessie gulped. "Self Destruct?"  
* * *  
  
Ash and Pikachu rejoined their friends, who were cleaning up the remaining Rockets with the help of the Elite Four. He looked upward at the receding Meowth balloon with annoyance. "They're getting away." he grumbled.  
  
Misty was hysterical. "And they have Togepi!" She stared at the balloon, tears brimming in her eyes. "They took my little Togepi!" Her tears made way for a glare of rage. "If I ever get my hands on those three, I'll-"  
  
Before Misty could finish her threat, the balloon erupted in a huge ball of fire, completely obliterating the aircraft in the blink of an eye. Team Rocket, along with their black-clad brethren, flew out of sight crying their famous phrase.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu and Vulpix gazed at the rapidly vanishing cloud of fire, awestruck. Without warning, a small charred object dropped into Misty's arms, emitting a screeching, wailing sob. "Togepi?" Misty hugged the smoked egg tightly, rocking it back and forth. "Oh, Togepi, how awful!"  
  
"Wow." Ash said, scratching his head, "What an egg-citing way to end a dance."  
  
Brock groaned.  
* * *  
  
Mrs. Ketchum leaned against the side of the building, sighing contently. "Well, this certainly has been an exciting evening, hasn't it?" Misty nodded, still cradling Togepi. The tiny egg had finally stopped crying and had fallen asleep, much to her relief. A quick trip to the Pokécenter would fix everything, at least for little Togepi.  
  
"Yeah, just great..." Misty said, gazing up at the stars.  
  
Mrs. Ketchum blew out a breath of impatience. "Oh, for heaven's sake, now what's wrong?" She shook her head. "Did Ash do something to upset you?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, no, nothing like that." Misty said. "It's just...I can't love him." Mrs. Ketchum blinked, unable to understand. Misty tried again, "Ash and I, we're good friends. We're best friends." She looked back up at the stars, sighing wistfully. "I almost lost my best friend once, when I started going out with him. I can't risk it again."  
* * *  
  
"Okay Ash, give me every filthy little detail, and don't leave the good parts out." Brock ribbed Ash as they stood out on the remnants of the dance floor. "C'mon, spill it!"  
  
Ash waved his friend off. "Hey, come on!" He picked up Pikachu, placing the Pokémon on his shoulder. "Nothing happened, okay?"  
  
"Are you meaning to tell me," Brock said, full of incredulity, "That you danced 'that' close to her, spent 'all' that time worrying, and you didn't even 'kiss' her?"  
Ash held up his thumb and forefinger, keeping them a half-inch apart. "This close."  
  
"You're an idiot."  
  
"Thanks." Ash rolled his eyes. "I dunno Brock, I think maybe I'm just going to forget about it."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Ash looked up at the night sky, gazing at the breathtaking stars. "You don't understand. When Misty and I broke up, I was a mess; you remember, don't you?" He looked back at Brock, his eyes filled with the memories, the pain that he had felt.  
  
"Yeah, but..."  
  
He sighed, turning back to the stars. "Brock, getting over Misty was the hardest thing I've ever had to do." His eyes fell on one particular star...the same one Misty was gazing wistfully upon at that very moment.  
  
"I don't think I could get over her again."  
  
End  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #8  
The League Games, Part I  
  
-Quiet Hindsight-  
Wow, that was a long story, wasn't it? I hope you enjoyed it. If you feel like complimenting me, feel free to e-mail me. If you feel like flaming me out, I guess you can e-mail me too, but I won't be as happy to see your letters ;) I'll have some more AAMRNs out as the series develops more, they should prove to be interesting. Danke schön and good night, everyone! 


	8. The League Games: Part 1

=Author's Note=  
All righty, here it is; the first League Games story for BadgeQuest. Can you feel the excitement? I sure can. No, wait; that's the caffeine buzz I got putting in the extra hours to get this done. Anywho, this story has it all; sex, murder, intrigue...okay, so there isn't any sex or murder, but it has a lot of intrigue. Enjoy!  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
*sigh* For the last time; No, I don't own Pokémon. No, I don't own the characters, or the animals, and I don't own Viridian City either! How many times do I have to say it??? Why don't you go bug those Nintendo people, they're the ones that own the friggin' series!  
  
BadgeQuest #8  
The League Games, Part I  
  
Ash slowly came to life, waking to a new day in a bed that was not his own. His eyes fluttered open, stinging slightly with the beaming light of a new day as he rolled over on his side. The piney scent of wood permeated the rustic cabin he, his friends, and his mother had been assigned for the Pokémon League this year. It was nice to be away from all the noise, all the screaming fans that seemed to pack into Indigo Stadium every year. There would be no fanatics to wake him at the crack of dawn, no hot dog vendors polluting the air with the smell of their greasy wares; just peace, quiet, and tranquility. He leaned over, taking a peek at Pikachu. His power-packed Pokémon was parked parallel to his bunk, snoozing peacefully.  
  
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Ash's mother burst into the room with a tray full of breakfast, wearing her favorite casual dress and her favorite blue apron. "Time to rise and shine to meet the challenge of a new day."  
  
Ash rubbed the sleep from his eyes, looking drowsily at his mother. "Huh? What? What day is it?" He brightened. "Is it my birthday?" He had nearly forgotten his birthday, what with all the training he had been doing. The big 1-6 had sneaked up on him pretty fast.  
  
His mother shook her head, setting the tray down on his lap and patting him on the head. Pikachu 'Pika'ed happily, leaping up onto the bed. It snagged a piece of toast before Ash even had a chance to touch the tray. "No, silly, today isn't your birthday. That's not for another four days." Ash's mother smiled. He shrugged, digging into the eggs with toast. "Today's the opening day of the Pokémon League."  
  
Ash choked, spewing a mouthful of runny eggs out over the bed's sheets. Knocking both the tray and Pikachu aside, the frantic trainer dove for the clock at the side of his bed, tumbling to the floor. "Oh my God!" he screamed, his face half-planted into the wooden floorboards, "The torch-lighting is in twenty minutes!" He scrambled up, running for his travel bag full of clothes. "Mom, why didn't you wake me up??? Where's Misty? Where's Brock?"  
  
His mother bent down, trying to collect the remains of the breakfast she had so lovingly prepared. "They're already at the stadium...I just couldn't wake you up, honey. You looked so peaceful." she explained, shooing Pikachu away from the eggs.  
  
"Peaceful?" Ash screamed, pulling on his pants. "In less than twenty minutes, I have to be there to light the ceremonial Torch of Moltres. If I'm *not* there, then the League winner lights the torch!" He pulled on his fingerless gloves, curling his hands into tight fists. "I'm not going to let that ego-blown bag of wind light that torch; no way, no how."  
  
"That's nice, dear." Mrs. Ketchum picked Pikachu up off of the puddle of eggs, wiping its feet off with her apron. She handed the Pokémon to Ash, who accepted the despondent (and hungry) Pikachu gratefully.  
  
Ash grabbed a single white sock, searching for its partner. After a moment of searching he discovered another pair; one blue, and one red. "Why is it that when I'm in a hurry, my socks always want to play HIDE AND SEEK???"  
* * *  
  
Misty looked at her watch, scowling. She turned to Brock and Richie, who sat next to her in the executive box seats nearest to the ceremonial Torch of Moltres. Being close friends of the League Champion had its advantages. "Where in the world is Ash? That torch is going to be lit in ten minutes, and I haven't seen hide nor hat of him!"  
  
Brock shrugged, peering out at the field. "He was still asleep when we left. Knowing him, he probably woke up five or ten minutes ago, and he's on his way now."  
  
"Uh-oh..." Richie pulled out his binoculars, pointing them towards the Torch. "Jeez, it figures he'd be hovering there like a buzzard."  
  
"Who?" Misty said. Richie handed her the binos and pointed her in the right direction. Sticking her eyes up to the lenses, she saw a magnified view of none other than Gary Oak, standing near the edges of the group of League officials with a ten-foot smile on his face.  
  
"You know who lights the torch if Ash doesn't show up..." Richie sighed.  
  
Misty growled at Gary, putting the binoculars down. "I'll bet 'he' knows, too. That opportunistic vermin, I should have pounded his head straight into his stomach when I had the chance." She checked her watch; Ash had nine minutes to make a last-minute entrance.  
* * *  
  
Ash burst out of the cabin door, hastily dressed and panting heavily. Pikachu bounded after him, leaping up onto his shoulder and clinging to his hat desperately. He checked his watch; eight minutes to make a last-minute entrance or Gary would light the torch. "Oh man, am I late!" Wasting no more time, he pulled Pidgeot's ball off of his belt, activated the release mechanism and tossed the sphere a few paces ahead. Pidgeot quickly formed from the dazzling stream of energy, rustling its feathers and trilling happily.  
  
"Pidgyoooooo!"  
  
"A'right Pidgeot, let's hit the clouds and max out the throttle!" Ash began to mount his massive bird, placing Pikachu on its head, when his mother called after him.  
  
"Ash, wait!" He froze as his mother ran out of the cabin, leaping down the steps and making her way over to his skyway steed. "If you're going to travel faster than the speed of sound, at least take these." She handed him an old pair of brown flight goggles. He grinned, strapping them on and snapping the lenses over his eyes.  
  
"You gonna come up to watch the games?"  
  
"Of course." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now get going, or you're going to be late!"  
  
He nodded, getting aboard Pidgeot. "Up, up and away!" Pidgeot began to beat its wings, lifting off of the ground and shooting skyward at amazing speeds. Ash's mom stood in the swirling dust, waving and coughing.  
  
"Good luck honey!"  
* * *  
  
"Excuse me." President Goodshow's weathered voice echoed from the stadium speakers, "Excuse me. May I have your attention please?" He cleared his throat. "In the absence of our League Champion, Mr. Ashlan Ketchum, I am pleased to announce that the ceremonial torch will be lit by last year's winner of the games and runner-up to the championship, Mr. Garret Oak!" The entire crowd roared, giving Goodshow and a cocksure Gary a standing ovation.  
  
"Thank you, thank you, I more than deserve this." Gary praised himself as he took the torch from Goodshow's hand. He began climbing the many steps to the torch, his ever-present smirk growing wider with each step he took. "That's one small step for me..." he leapt up three of the narrow steps, barely containing his glee, "And a really really BIG step for me!" he cackled.  
  
Richie suppressed a gag, muttering to Misty and Brock under his breath. "I'd love to give him a big step from behind, straight up the middle." This brought a chuckle out of Brock, but Misty remained serious.  
  
"I can't believe Ash was late to the torch lighting..." She said for the millionth time. She looked over at her friends. Brock merely shrugged, but Richie was squinting off into the distance. "Richie? Is something wrong?"  
  
Richie picked up his binoculars, peering off into the blinding bright blue sky. He put the binos down, grinning from ear to ear. "I'd hold onto my hat if I were you." he quipped, doing just as he had suggested. Misty and Brock gave him a quizzical look, then shrugged to each other, bracing themselves for whatever it was Richie had seen.  
  
Gary continued to clamor up the steps, slowly but surely making his way to the torch. He was close-so close he could almost taste it! -When a bright flash appeared from over the horizon. Within an instant, it shot overhead, gobbling up the miles between far away and the stadium like they were peanuts. Spectators in the crowd caught a glimpse of the brown-and-white blur before they were blown back with a wash of hurricane gusts, blowing garments and refreshments about the stadium like debris in a tornado. Gary was knocked back, his arms pinwheeling as he tumbled down the steps to the hard dirt at the base of the torch platform.  
  
Ash dismounted Pidgeot in mid-landing as it swooped towards the ground. Tucking and rolling, he came up on his feet a handful of meters from Goodshow and the League Officials, throwing his arms out like a true showman. "Tah-da!"  
  
The audience was in shock, momentarily stupefied by the Champ's grand entrance. Then, slowly, they began to clap, the coliseum thundering and roaring. Not everyone cheered, however; some booed, even went so far as to hurl insults at Ash. Most, however, maintained the applause whether they meant it or not.  
  
Ash strutted over to Gary, who lay next to the still-burning torch. "Hey Gary, how ya been?" He knelt down, picking up the flaming staff. "Thanks for keeping it warm for me. I'll take it from here." He jogged up the steps, somehow avoiding the stumble that impaired him so often at crucial moments. With a wave to the crowd and a fanfare of trumpets, he placed the flame to the fuel-fed torch, lighting it with a bright flash of fire. If one looked had been looking close enough, one might have seen a brief image of a flaming bird appear within the first tendrils of the flame before it quickly vanished, consumed by the hungry fire. The crowd was on its feet; with Ash or against him, 'all' of the stadium cheered for the newly lit Torch.  
  
Gary leered up at Ash from his place among the rest of the dirt, sneering at his longtime rival with a renewed sense of loathing. Each and every year, it had been the same thing; something had snatched victory from his grasp, humiliating him and shaming him to the point of tears. Ash, AJ, Richie...But this year, it would be different: This year, he had a plan:  
  
This year he was ready.  
* * *  
  
"Hey, Mr. K! Glad to have ya back!"  
  
Ash walked into his favorite Indigo restaurant, the Velocity Burger, with Pikachu bounding in behind him, chirping happily. Ash immediately spied the owner of the place, an old friend of his. "Speedy, you ol' Growlithe, how ya been?" He walked over to the wraparound counter adorning the center of the fast-food establishment. Standing behind the counter was a short, middle-aged balding man; he had thinning brown hair, a well-rounded waistline and a bright, wide smile. "Glad to know that 'someone' is still rooting for me."  
  
The corpulent restaurant owner reached across the counter, grasping Ash's hand firmly. "You've always got my vote, Mr. K." he said jovially. He reached down behind the counter as Ash had a seat on one of the many stools. "Have your favorite right here, just the way you like it." He placed a sandwich on a plate in front of Ash, the slices of bread reeking with the smell of peanuts and fruit. "And of course, someth'n for the little slugger." He handed a bottle of fresh ketchup to Pikachu, who eagerly ripped it from the man's sausagelike fingers.  
  
Ash bit into the sandwich with a ferocious appetite, sighing with pleasure. "Peanut butter and banana..." he swallowed, grinning from ear to ear. "You know, I think you're the only one on the island that makes 'em."  
  
Speedy laughed, wiping the counter with a rag. "You're just lucky I don't fry them...that was the King's recipe, you know."  
  
"Oh, you mean that Elle-Visse guy?" Ash asked, taking another bite.  
  
The large man shook his head, wondering exactly how the youth of today survived with the crutch of ignorance slowing them down. "So where are Brock and Richie? And Misty, for that matter."  
  
Ash talked around a mouthful of banana and peanut butter, momentarily gagging. "They wanted to go see the Hitmonchan juggling exhibition down at Indigo Plaza. I left a few minutes before it ended 'cause I wanted to get a bite to eat." He looked over at Pikachu, who was inhaling the bottle of ketchup as if it were a last meal. "They'll be here any minute."  
  
As if on cue, his trio of friends walked through the restaurant's front doors, chattering about the latest show put on in the Plaza. Brock held an ice pack to his head, having received it from a generous First Aid station. He was grumbling, icing down a rather large lump on his forehead, his cheeks slightly pink with humiliation.  
  
"I told you not to hit on that juggler in the middle of her routine..." Misty lectured him as they entered the fast food establishment, snorting at her friend's pain.  
  
"But she was so cute..." Brock whined.  
  
Richie laughed at his friend's plight, sauntering up to the counter next to Ash. After greetings were exchanged and meals were dispensed with, they settled in on their stools to eat. Richie happened to glance up at the television Speedy kept on the far end of the counter, which was always tuned to Indigo League Network. "Hey, they started up the First Round!"  
  
Ash took a large bite of his sandwich. "Who is it?" he said, spitting out small chunks of fruit and peanut butter as he spoke.  
  
Speedy examined the coverage for a moment. "Looks like AJ is facing off with Gary on the Ice Field..." Ash choked at this, turning red. It wasn't until he began waving his arms and making pathetic gagging sounds that someone took notice of him; Misty came from behind and performed a heimlich, squirting the small piece of half-chewed sandwich back onto Ash's plate.  
  
She grimaced, pushing her own food away as she returned to her seat. "There goes my appetite...Turn the match up."  
  
"Yes, it's a beautiful day for a match, folks." the announcer's tinny voice rang from the television, "Not a cloud in the sky. We have a great match forming up today as longtime sweetheart of the League Gary Oak-"  
* * *  
  
"-Takes on the hard-hitting team from AJ. There's been a bit of a rivalry going on for some time between these two, ever since the League Games two years back. It looks like Gary's ready for some payback..."  
  
Gary Oak stood in the stylized Trainer's Box, a small platform podium sitting a few feet above the frigid field of ice. His three Pokéballs rested in the small ports in front of him, already registered for the battle. They were three of his best, but part of him wondered if it would be enough; AJ was a tough competitor, and his Sandslash was even tougher.  
  
AJ's face appeared in the communication monitor to the side of his Pokéball ports. "Well hey there, Gary. Been a long time, hasn't it?" He gave his opponent a wink and a smile. "Hope you don't mind too much when I smear your butt all over the field today. That ice gets mighty cold." With a small cackle, he broke the connection, turning the screen to static. Gary scowled, but kept his calm; he was going to win this match. He could afford to stand some of the other trainer's ego...for now.  
  
With a wave of the flag and a shout from the judge, the match began:  
  
"Fearow, I choose you!" AJ started off with a flying type; the gigantic buzzard-like Fearow was released from its containment, screeching and cawing.  
  
Gary started off with an old favorite of his. "Nidoking, pound that turkey flat!" Nidoking grunted, stomping on the ground. With a roar and a shriek, the battle was joined.  
  
"Fearow, Drill Peck!"  
  
"Nidoking, counter with Poison Sting!"  
  
A large drill of energy formed around Fearow's beak, whirling as it dove at the large lavender Poison type. Nidoking opened its gaping maw, a thousand needles of pure toxin spraying up to meet the bird. Nidoking's counterattack came too slow, however; the energy drill struck the large Pokémon square in the chest, driving it through the ice until it slid to a stop, buried beneath a mound of snow. Gary's Pokémon remained still; as far as Nidoking was concerned, the battle was over.  
  
"Fearow is the winner." the judge cried, holding up a red flag to indicate AJ's victory. His Fearow let loose with a cry of victory, then suddenly spiraled downward, striking the ice with a sickening thud. It trembled, vicious poison coursing through its veins, eating away at its internal organs. The judge took one look at it and held up his green flag. "Fearow is unable to battle and must be recalled. One faint for AJ, one faint for Gary Oak." He brought the flag down. "Choose new Pokémon!"  
  
"Arcanine!"  
  
"Geodude!"  
  
The new Pokémon circled each other, making careful, calculated attacks to test the other's strength. Then AJ decided that the time for caution was past. "Geodude, Seismic Toss!" Geodude floated forward, grabbing the fiery hound and rising into the air, ready to slam it all the way through the ice if necessary.  
  
Gary wouldn't have it. "Arcanine, Raging Inferno now!" Arcanine began spewing red flames, not particularly caring which direction it was aiming in. The flames grew to yellow, then blue, then became white hot as they swept back and forth. As Geodude heaved the dog towards the ground, it was caught in one of the blasts of white fire, blasting high into the air. Arcanine hit the ground hard, creating a small crater in the ice. Geodude was soon to follow, smacking into the hard, cold surface like a meteorite. Its hard, rocky skin was red hot, melting the ice around it.  
  
The judge brought up both flags. "Double elimination. Each trainer has one Pokémon remaining." The crowd was going wild now; matches this close, this tense, rarely happened within the first few rounds of the League.  
  
AJ smiled, knowing exactly which card to play from his hand; when only one play remains, a good player 'always' used his trump card. He drew the Pokéball from the small round port in the podium, cocking his arm back. "Let's finish this, Sandslash!" he hurled the ball, sending it out into the field. In an instant his longtime partner, friend and companion was released from its Poké-prison; Sandslash, a gigantic rodent with menacing spikes and spines covering its body.  
  
"Slash!"  
  
Gary smirked; tough or not, AJ was far too predictable. That was why he would lose today. He pulled out his own final play; AJ's trump card would fall to a joker in the deck. "Go, Paras!" His Pokémon was released; a tiny, eight pound beetle with two mushrooms growing from its back hit the field, wobbling on small spiky legs.  
  
"Parrrras." it squealed, rolling the 'r's. Paras crawled forward, clicking and squawking. AJ and his Sandslash took one look at the newcomer to the fight, then began laughing uncontrollably. The crowd had turned on Gary, booing and hissing, throwing cups and insults. Gary accepted the booing and the hisses for the moment; they would be cheering soon enough.  
  
"Sandslash, wipe the field clean with this little bug." AJ chortled, leaning back. Sandslash nodded back at him, advancing on the mushroomed bug with a smirk on its lips. Paras shivered, crouching down and whimpering. AJ couldn't believe that Gary would throw the match like this...it didn't make sense.  
  
Gary, however, was unconcerned. "Thank the Goddess for TMs." he murmured, calling out, "Paras, Solarbeam!"  
  
Paras' mushrooms began absorbing light, glowing a bright yellow with solar energy. Before Sandslash could move, Paras shot the energy off in twin beams of sapphire power, slamming point-blank into the large spiked Pokémon. Sandslash flew backwards, slamming into the opposite Trainer's box and knocking it from its rooting. AJ tumbled down from the half-destroyed box with a scream, drowned out by the approving roar of the crowd and the judge's call.  
  
"Sandslash is unable to battle: Paras is the winner! Paras is the winner!"  
* * *  
  
Ash watched from the upper wings of the Fire Field as the judge called out over the speaker system; "Eevee is unable to fight. Arcanine wins the match!" Even from this great a distance, he could see Mikey's disappointment as he recalled his Eevee, stepping despondently from the trainer's box. It was only his second League Games; Ash hoped that he wouldn't feel too disappointed, as Ash had early on. Then he shifted his attention back to the winner of the match. It was hard to believe, but Gary had swept through his second, third and fourth match with a fair amount of ease after that close call in the first round.  
  
His nemesis danced with glee, recalling his fiery pup with a snap of the wrist. Ash could almost hear his self-praise from up there, his gloating and back-patting. He had no doubt that Gary would continue to win match after match until there were only two...the only person who might stand a chance of stopping him was-  
  
"Excuse me, sir?" a soft voice behind him interrupted, taking his mind off of the troubles he faced. He turned to see Paige, a young page for the upper ranks of the Indigo League. She knew better than to bother Ash when he was watching a match; something was up.  
  
"Yes, Paige?"  
  
"I don't mean to interrupt, sir, but you have a match coming up in ten minutes on the Rock Field. If you neglect to show, you will forfeit the match."  
  
Ash frowned, confused. "Paige, you know that the Champion doesn't participate in the Games unless the winner challenges him for the title...Who was it that entered me into the lineup?  
  
"No one, sir." Paige sounded apologetic. "It's just that-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"One of the trainers requested that his fourth round be against the League Champion. I informed him that you weren't to be disturbed, but he told me that you would accept the challenge."  
  
Ash snorted. "He did, did he?" He exited the small balcony, walking down the steps with Paige on his heels. "And just who is it that signed me up for this match?"  
* * *  
  
"Hey Ash!"  
  
"Richie?" Ash stared in disbelief as Richie's face smiled at him from the trainer's box's communication screen. Richie stood on the far side of the Rock Field, his podium rising above the barren, boulder-filled arena as Ash's did. "Richie, what in blazes are you doing?" Pikachu gave Richie a 'pika' of greeting and a tiny, clawed wave from Ash's feet.  
  
"These youngsters in the first couple of rounds weren't any challenge." Richie winked, laughing. "I figured I'd test my mettle against a 'real' trainer. Up for it?"  
  
Ash scowled, cursing his bad luck; Richie had no idea how badly he had just screwed things up. If he beat Richie, there would be no one to oppose Gary on his rise to the top. If he *lost* to Richie, he would automatically lose his title anyway. Either way, he was in trouble. "Man oh man, you sure do pick the worst times for these things."  
  
"What, you saying you don't wanna battle me?" Riche sounded hurt.  
  
Ash gave his old friend some semblance of a smile. Screwed or not, he wouldn't let Richie down. "Only if it's the best battle we've ever had!" Richie laughed, readying his retort when the judge spoke up.  
  
"Trainers, select your Pokémon. No callbacks, no items, no time limit!" His flag dropped with a wave, "Begin!"  
  
"Happy, I choose you!" Richie released his Butterfree with a flair of energy. Excited for battle, the graceful Bug type flew high into the air, trilling a battlecry.  
  
Ash made a split-second decision, choosing his first Pokémon. "Let's get it on, Muk!" He released his Poison Pokémon, Muk; the large pile of toxic sludge landed on the hard rocky surface, splattering and re-collecting itself.  
  
"Mu-mu-mu-muk!"  
  
Richie took the opening move. With a smile and an fist of excitement, he ordered; "Happy, use your Sleep Powder!" Happy cooed, sweeping over Ash's mound of goo with a stream of sparkling blue powder. The sleeping potion covered Muk, but the Poison type didn't even flinch.  
  
"Muk, minimize!"  
  
Muk rumbled, shrinking in size with a small popping sound. Happy searched desperately for its opponent, but couldn't spot the Muk anywhere. Then, as if from nowhere, a spray of toxic Sludge shot up at the Butterfree, blasting it out of the sky and searing its delicate wings. Happy screamed, spiraling to the ground in a pathetic heap.  
  
"Butterfree is unable to battle. Muk is the winner!" the judge made the call, holding up a green flag for Ash. However, when Richie recalled his wounded Butterfree, Ash followed suit with his Muk, returning it to an energy state within the containment sphere.  
  
"What are you doing?" Richie said through the comm channel, his voice filled with incredulity. "Now we 'both' only have two Pokémon left."  
  
Ash smiled. "Just warming up a little bit." he said.  
  
"Warm up, huh? I'll show you a warm up." Richie chose his second Pokémon and released it; out sprang his gigantic Charizard, roaring with fury at Ash and his Pikachu. "How's that for a warm up, oh great Champion? Go get 'em, Zippo!"  
  
"A fast and furious Charizard...not bad." Ash conceded, choosing his own second. "But sometimes the race goes to the slow and steady!" He tossed the ball, releasing his Pokémon out among the boulders and pebbles.  
  
"Wartortle!" Ash's water turtle landed in a forward roll, sneering at Zippo and giving him a red-tongued raspberry. "Warrrrrrrr!" Before the judge could even get a word in edgewise, Zippo engaged the battle with a devastating stream of fire. Reacting in time, Wartortle pulled back into his shell and bounced away, skidding on the abrasive rocks. Enraged, Zippo took off after the turtle, beatings its mighty wings and letting loose with a thunderous roar.  
  
Wartortle came out of its shell, continuing to retreat with several hand-flips and rolls. Ash smiled at his turtle's agility...it had taken years to instill that kind of coordination and balance into a creature with a ten-pound plate of armor on its back, but every minute they had spent training was worth it. As Zippo blasted at him with another Flamethrower, the Wartortle cartwheeled to the side, leaping up and over a set of boulders and out of the Charizard's sight. Zippo searched the area in vain, trying to find Wartortle. Try as he might, Richie could find the Pokémon no better among the cover of the rocks than his Charizard could.  
  
Now was his chance. "Okay Wartortle, enough hide and seek. Finish him off with a Bubblebeam!"  
  
Wartortle popped out of a rock outcropping, as if it had been a part of the rocks all along. "Tortle, war war!" Drawing in a deep breath, the massive turtle let loose with a rainbow stream of silvery bubbles that lanced at Zippo. The unsuspecting Charizard hadn't been prepared for an attack; it roared in agony as the watery spheres slammed into its scaly chest, blasting it back with an elemental advantage that KO'ed the lizard in a heartbeat. Zippo slumped against the boulders and did not get back up.  
  
Now Richie was visibly annoyed. "Man, that's two faints in two battles...I must be slipping." his face on the screen scowled. Then his frown slowly blossomed into another smile, this time even wider than before. "So, you like to use Wartortle against Fire types, do you?" He snickered, pulling his last Pokéball from its port. "How about trying 'im against my newest Pokémon?"  
  
"Oh, a replacement for Zippo?" Ash teased his friend.  
  
Richie chuckled again. "Just a little something I picked up on Victory Road on the way here..." he threw the ball, letting it spiral in the air for several seconds. The ball split on the unseen hinge, releasing a wash of energy. It began to take shape, growing to gigantic proportions; a wing...two wings...long, jagged talons...After an instant of restructuring and reforming, the bright light subsided and the Pokémon's true nature was revealed.  
  
Ash's face became ashen. "Moltres..." his whispered in a hoarse voice.  
  
The legendary bird of Fire floated before him, large as life. It bellowed a terrifying screech that seemed to shake the entire coliseum, screaming at Ash's Wartortle with fiery rage. Wartortle was frightened stiff, and pulled back into its shell. Ash could hardly blame the little fellow; he probably would have done the same thing.  
  
"So what d'ya think of my new friend?" Richie gloated mirthfully.  
  
Ash recalled Wartortle with the familiar beam of red energy, snapping the turtle into its ball and placing it back in its port. "I think he's about to meet his match." Ash said with forced cheer; inside his demeanor was grim. If he couldn't beat Richie, how could he even hope to beat Gary? This would be a preliminary test, a warm-up for the real fight to come.   
  
"Let's mix it up!" he tossed his third choice out, the ball hanging in the air for several seconds before splitting in half and releasing a torrent of energy to match the one Moltres itself had produced. In a heartbeat, the wash of dazzling white light coalesced into Ash's legendary bird of Ice; Articuno, his most powerful Pokémon by far.  
  
"Cunewwwwwwwwwwww!" the frosty titan screeched, leering at its flaming cousin with battlelust. Moltres gave a scream in return, not waiting for an order from its trainer as it leapt into battle. Articuno dodged nimbly, avoiding Moltres' flaming fireballs with an Agility dodge that shot it high up into the air.  
  
In the meantime, the crowd had recovered and was cheering like mad, howling and hooting for the unbelievable match. Much to Ash's chagrin, most of the crowd seemed to be cheering for Richie.  
  
'Misty was right,' he thought, 'They really *are* rooting for the underdog...'  
  
He pushed those thoughts from his mind, shouting orders and counter-orders to Articuno as the battle raged on. Both he and Richie knew how delicate the situation was; Fire was weak to Ice, and Ice weak to Fire. One solid hit, and the match would be over. He wasn't about to pull any punches...but then again, neither was Richie. "Articuno, keep using Agility!" The important thing right now was to dodge Moltres' shots. That overgrown Phoenix had a lot more attack power than his own frigid ally; if he could keep ahead of it, wear it down somehow, then they might have a chance.  
  
But Moltres apparently hadn't heard Ash's plan; the fiery titan kept coming, turning several of Articuno's tail feathers crispy black. Articuno screeched indignantly, pouring on more Agility as it tried desperately to stay ahead of Richie's toasty turkey. Seeing that Moltres was unimpressed with Articuno's superior speed, Ash opted for plan B.  
  
"Articuno, Mist attack!"  
  
Articuno began glowing with a freezing aura, supercooling the humid air in the stadium. In a few moments, the air was thick with a rolling, frigid mist that cut visibility down to where Ash could barely see the nose in front of his face. He was betting that Richie-and his Moltres-couldn't see a thing either. But Articuno could. "Okay Articuno, it's time for Ice Pick!"  
  
Articuno screeched an affirmative, its beak glowing with a bright surge of freezing energy. It flew towards its blinded, confused opponent, tucking its sea-blue wings as it gained speed. Moltres never saw the finishing move coming; it was struck square in the breast with Articuno's freezer-tipped beak and blasted back into the rocky surface of the stadium, throwing up dust and boulders alike. Articuno willed the mist away, clearing the hazy fog with a mere thought as it stood over its fallen foe, a high trill of victory ringing across the field. The judge took one look at Moltres and made the call:  
  
"Moltres is unable to battle. Articuno has won the match!"  
* * *  
  
A few hours (and one trip to the Pokémon Center) later, Ash and Richie walked side-by-side into the Velocity Burger, talking and laughing. Ash steadied Pikachu on his shoulder, who was all but bursting with energy; it was disappointed that Ash hadn't let it battle against Richie, and had been over-stimulated by the final one-on-one, bird-on-bird bout.  
  
"Man, I had no idea you would pull out an Articuno, Ash!" Richie exclaimed with admiration. "That was an awesome win...not that I don't vow to return the 'favor' tenfold, mind you. Where did you ever find one?"  
  
Ash couldn't hold his curiosity at bay any longer. "Never mind how I got Articuno...how on earth did you ever find a Moltres? I've only seen two, and they're a bit...inaccessible."  
  
Richie laughed. "Two is one more than I've ever seen...but that's not the weirdest part, either. Y'see, there's this woman-"  
  
Richie was interrupted by a high-pitched, "Hey Ash, hey Richie! Over here!" Looking towards the source, the pair of trainers spotted Misty accompanied by Brock sitting in their favorite booth. Pikachu bounded from Ash's shoulder and ran over into Misty's waiting arms, which were surprisingly vacant of Togepi's egg-like form. Cuddling with the tiny mouse, she welcomed her friends in, scooting over for Ash while Tracy slid in with Brock. "We saw the fight on the TV, you guys..."  
  
"Yeah, that was amazing!" Brock hailed, clenching his fist. "I've never seen a battle like that before."  
  
"Pika!"  
  
Ash's stomach growled and grumbled, getting stares of questioning from his friends and Pikachu. He blushed, embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess all that battling worked up an appetite, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Richie smirked, "Standing behind a podium and shouting orders must really be tough." Misty giggled at this, elbowing Ash. Ash's hunger was not ignored, however; Speedy came up to the table with four plates of food and an extra-large bottle of ketchup before the teens could even order anything. He gave them a wink as he set the food down in front of them, handing the ketchup to Pikachu while saving Ash's plate for last.  
  
"Got yer favorite right here, Mr. K!" he beamed, setting the peanut butter and banana sandwich in front of the Indigo Champion. Ash gave him a thank you, muffled by a mouthful of banana and gooey peanut butter.  
  
Misty grimaced in disgust, gagging as she stuck her tongue out. "How in the world can you stand to eat those things, Ash?"  
  
"Hey, it's good!" he said defensively. He ripped the sandwich in half, offering the part he hadn't bit in to Misty. "Try it; you'd be surprised."  
  
"Yeah, surprised as how quickly it'll kill me." She slurped at an iced mocha java, better than any she had gotten at Pewter City's Quarry. She rubbed Pikachu behind the ears, setting the Pokémon on the tabletop in front of them before digging into her burger and fries.  
  
Ash shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, taking an enormous bite. The large mouthful gave him plenty to choke on when a loud "KETCHUM!" startled him from behind, causing him to gag in surprise. His choking continued before Misty reached over and gave him a quick jab to the stomach, clearing his windpipe. He coughed, turning around to find the source of the yell. Standing behind him was three-quarters of his biggest rivalry within the Indigo League...besides Gary. The Elite Four: Lance, Agatha and Lorelei. Bruno's massive form was nowhere to be found.  
  
Lorelei folded her arms across her shapely chest, smirking at Ash from behind her glasses. "Well well, look who we have here...and stuffing his face, as usual." Agatha cackled, leaning on her cane from behind Lorelei. For some inexplicable reason, the ancient woman was wearing a thick wool shawl in ninety-degree weather. Ash wondered if maybe she wasn't clinically dead and just used the cloth to keep her cadaver warm. The thought brought him a bit of humor in an otherwise obnoxious confrontation. Lance, as usual, was giving him the silent glare while Lorelei continued her ranting. "Gary has two more matches before he'll be able to challenge you for the Championship." She leaned in close to the table, still smiling. "You worried?"  
  
Ash forced himself to remain calm. "Not especially."  
  
"You should be," she said, poking Pikachu in the Pokémon's belly with a laugh, "With such poorly trained Pokémon." Agatha cackled again, leering at Pikachu with her lazy eye.  
  
Pikachu fumed, sparking and snarling. It leapt at Lorelei, and would have taken the young woman's face off had Ash not snatched the mouse out of the air in mid-jump. He received a mild jolt for his efforts, smothering Pikachu into his lap while giving Lorelei a weak smile.  
  
"And how do you know he won't lose?"  
* * *  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," President Goodshow stood behind his podium, which in turn was mounted in front of the steps of the Indigo Torch of Moltres, " I hope you will join me in congratulating our winner of this year's Indigo League Games, Gary Oak!" The crowd roared wildly as Gary took his place by Goodshow's side, holding his arms up with a smug smile of victory plastered on his thin lips.  
  
"Thank you, thank you, one and all!" Gary shouted into the microphone, causing a small feedback loop that screeched over the speakers for a moment. After the horrid squalling had died down, Gary tried again. "I know I can count on my loyal fans to back me up!"  
  
Goodshow looked over to Gary, raising a white, weathered eyebrow. "I assume," the old man said in his rough, hewn voice, "That you'll be challenging young Ketchum for the title."  
  
"Goodshow," Gary grabbed the mike from the podium and began to walk the length of the platform, waving his arms in huge gestures. "Not only will I challenge him for the title, but I'll beat the pants off of him, too!" Again the crowd roared, totally taken in by Gary's proclamation...all but four, that is.  
  
"What was that about Gary not winning?" Misty shot Ash a sidelong glance, hanging on to her now-released Togepi for comfort among the barely contained mob rising out of their seats.  
  
Ash shot her a look that would make a Gyarados blink. "Shut up." He held his own favorite Pokémon in his lap, who perked its ears up in interest with a quiet 'pika'.  
  
"She has a point, Ash." Richie said from the other side of Misty, looking back at the crowd. "Maybe Gary has some sort of trick up his sleeve..." He shook his head, pulling his cap down tighter over his ears. "The crowd sure thinks he can win."  
  
Ash snorted in disgust, casting his glare up at the crowd. "Let them side with that windbag." He looked down at Pikachu, smiling with pride. "We'll show them...we'll show them all who's Number One in this league, right Pikachu?"  
  
"Pika!" The rambunctious rodent thrust its tiny fist of claws into the air, crying out in unison with its trainer. Ash nodded triumphantly, standing up with his Pokémon in his arms. He began walking down the row, leaving the stadium with an air of defiance that his friends had never seen before. Misty shook her head sadly, hugging Togepi hard enough to make the egg child squeal a bit.  
  
"I've never seen him like this..."  
  
Richie and Brock gave her a look of incredulity. "What do you mean?" Richie beat Brock to the punch, glancing at Ash's receding form. "He's moody, arrogant, unstable, filled with anger..."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Okay, I mean, obviously, we've seen 'all' of those before. This time it's different..." her face drooped with sadness as she stroked Togepi's head lovingly. "Usually he limits himself to just one of those obnoxious traits. This time, though..."  
  
Richie eyed his friend slyly. "Do I detect a hint of something more than worry in your voice, Misty?" He waggled his eyebrows, ribbing her a bit with his elbow. This earned him a smack upside the head with the heel of Misty's palm as she spat in anger.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Both Brock and Richie were laughing now; starting with a few chuckles, it grew to raucous, deep belly laughter. Her rage grew, as did her voice. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" Several people around them glanced at the angry redhead, but gave most of their attention to Goodshow's lecture on the process of beating the Elite Four.  
  
Richie wiped a tear that had escaped from his eye away. "Boy oh boy, Misty; you have it bad, don't you?"  
  
Her voice grew quiet with fury. "Excuse me."  
  
But Brock spoke up first. "That's nothing; you should have seen her at the Master's Ball. She was practically melting into his arms!" He, too, received a flat-handed blow from Misty's palm, his laughter growing as his head snapped to the side. "Like a Ditto on a hot griddle!"  
  
"I am NOT in love with Ash!" she cried out defensively. "Maybe I was a little confused after he died, but you can hardly blame me for that!" Her cheeks were bright red as she blushed with embarrassment. "Imagine; me, in love with a little kid like that!" She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with either of the snickering boys, letting her gaze drift downward to her battered red sneakers in shame.  
  
Now they stopped laughing, instead frowning with a mixture of confusion and disapproval. "Now wait a minute..." Brock said, folding his arms. Misty tried to shut him out, but he walked over to her and bent down, looking straight into her eyes. "You can fool yourself, you can fool Ash...Goddess knows 'that' isn't hard." She smiled a bit at his humor, but grew serious as he finished, "But you can't fool me, Mysterious Waterflower."   
  
She sighed, finally owning up with a mixture of sadness and annoyance. "Give me a break...I'm working on the whole 'Not In Love With Ash' thing, okay?" Brushing a lock of her hair out of her face, she stood up and left in a similar manner as Ash had; huffy, speedily and without a word. Brock and Richie exchanged knowing glances once more.  
  
"Oh yeah, she's got it 'bad'."  
  
"Real bad."  
* * *  
  
The Elite Four had given Gary some terrific battles to contend with, but had fallen one by one to the young trainer's team of well-taught Pokémon; some might have had the tenacity to claim that Bruno was the only one of the four that hadn't fought half-heartedly, but most agreed that it was just as tough as any other battle the Elite Four had offered in the past. In either case, it was time for the final match.  
  
The crowd was roaring and screaming, sending thunderous waves of noise echoing across the modern coliseum and shaking the foundation of the stone-and-mortar monument. It was filled beyond capacity for this fight the isles and sidelines brimming with thousands of people who had come too late to find a seat. The evening sky was devoid of all natural sunlight, lit up now by the stars, the moon, and most of all the stadium's own massive array of towering spotlights that bathed the field in a wash of dazzling white brilliance.  
  
Of course, not everyone had been required to show up early to get good seats; a certain quartet of reoccurring characters sat front row center, taking in the sights, the sounds, and the smells of Indigo Stadium at its peak.  
  
"Oh my, this is certainly exciting!" Ash's mother nearly swooned, leaning over the railing as she tried in vain to spot Ash among the officials on the field; it was apparent that the current League Champ hadn't taken the field just yet. Gary, on the other hand, was snug in his own trainer's box, his Pokémon already in the podium's registry ports and ready to go. If it was at all possible, he had an even bigger smirk than usual plastered on his smug little face. "It's as if the entire 'world' showed up to see my Ash battling tonight!"  
  
As much as she hated to admit it, Misty had to agree with Mrs. Ketchum; this 'was' exciting. No one had given Ash any real competition since he had swept the championship five years ago. This match had been building up for half a decade, ever since her longtime friend had beaten Gary. Now it was time for a final showdown of sorts, something to end this rivalry once and for all...at least until the next League Games.  
  
"Wow, is this great or what?" Brock said, munching on a mouthful of popcorn before taking a long drag from a cup full of soda. "Best seats in the house!"  
  
"Noisiest, too." Richie winced as the crowd got to its feet, pounding their hands together at the merest wave from Gary. It was utterly disgusting, the way he was playing the crowd for all they were worth. "C'mon, Ash, where the heck are you?" he muttered, urging his friend to take his stand before the entire 'world' turned against him.  
  
"Lllllladies and gentlemen..." the announcer's voice came to life over the loudspeaker system, booming and squalling across the field and the noisy stadium. The din died down a bit as people settled in to listen to their favorite announcer, T. G. Masters, talk them through the match. "Welcome to the main event; in the Red Trainer's Box we have the "Bad Boy" of the Indigo League and tonight's favorite to win...Ga-ry Oak!" The crowd went wild, clapping and screaming. A few of the more fanatical women positioned up front tossed hotel room keys and marriage proposals at the young trainer, which he took with a sparkling smile and a wink.  
  
"And in the Green Trainer's Box is Pokémon Island's sweetheart, and the rough-and-ready Cham-pion of the Indigo League...Ash-lan Ter-rance KET-chum!" This was the moment Ash had chosen to take his trainer's box, stepping up to the podium as it lifted off of the brown, smooth ground with a soft pneumatic whirring. Pikachu also took the stage, opting to stand below and to the side of the aquamarine hued box with its claws placed defiantly on its hips. The crowd took Ash's fashionably late entrance with distaste, booing and hissing. He tried to ignore the traitorous fans who had cheered him to victory only five short years ago, pushing them to the back of his mind.  
* * *  
  
"And the crowd does not look happy to see Ketchum take the field..." T. G. had switched his microphone over to radio feed only, broadcasting his take of the match over to the thousands of listeners who weren't lucky enough to be there. "It looks like Ash has fallen out of favor with the fans. He could be in real trouble tonight." He shifted in his chair, looking out at the field from his broadcaster's box high atop the stands in the Indigo Stadium.  
  
The broadcaster cleared his throat, covering the mike so as not to broadcast his throaty rumbling over the airwaves. "Now folks, we have a real special treat for you at this match; a special guest with a real inside look at both of tonight's fighters, Professor Oak of the Oak Institute for Pokémon Research."  
  
Oak nodded in gratitude from his seat next to Masters. "Thank you, T. G. It's a pleasure to be here."  
  
"Now Oak, I'm going to cut to the chase." T. G. started right off the bat, playing hardball. "You've taken the Ketchum boy in as a sort of protégé, if I'm not mistaken, and Gary Oak is quite obviously your grandson. Tell me; which one are you rooting for?"  
  
Oak gazed out at the two combatants with calm serenity. "Mr. Masters, I cannot and will not take sides in this match."  
  
"But your own flesh and blood-"  
  
Oak cut the wheeling-and-dealing DJ of Pokémon off, "While Gary 'is' my grandson, I have come to think of Ash as more than a protégé; he is as much family to me as my young Gary. In either case, it really doesn't matter which side I'm on. This match will be decided by one thing and one thing alone; the skills of the two trainers, pitted against each other."  
  
T. G. blinked, taken aback at Oak's neutrality. "Well, which one do you think has the better shot of winning, Professor...er, in you esteemed opinion, of course..."  
  
"It isn't an easy question to answer, Mr. Masters." Oak folded his arms, beginning a lecture that he had given to many people who asked similar queries about his two rivaling disciples. "Their training methods are quite different; like day and night. My grandson has chosen a training technique that involves multiple Pokémon of many different types, each with their own weaknesses and strengths. This gives him an advantage when it comes to selecting the right Pokémon for a battle; a wider range of selection means a better chance of finding the perfect combatant for a particular fight."   
  
He paused, shifting his gaze from Gary to Ash. "Young Mr. Ketchum, on the other hand, has been training for many years with a specific series of Pokémon that I like to call "The A Team". Within Ash's 'A Team' there exist countless hours of training and battling. He has pitted each of them against opponents of all different sizes, shapes, types, and elements. In addition, Ash has done quite a bit more traveling and adventuring than my grandson has. I very much doubt there is anything that Gary will be able to do that will surprise Ash, which gives him a substantial advantage."  
  
"Oh-kay, back to the fight!" T. G. said, looking down on the field as the officials began to set up the match.  
* * *  
  
"The Green Trainer and Indigo Champion has selected the battle rules;" the field judge called out, his arms held up high to attract the crowd's attention. "Three-on-three match. No callbacks, no time limit, and no items. Trainers, select your Pokémon!" The judge raised his large green and red flags simultaneously, waiting for the gladiators to choose their weapons.  
* * *  
  
Gary glowered at Ash from across the field, trying to read his opponent and outguess him. It was a safe bet that he wouldn't start with Pikachu, but the rodent would undoubtedly enter into play sometime in the match. It was important that Gary not play his trump card until he needed to...and even more important that no one catch him while he was doing it. He selected his Pokémon, taking it out of the registry port and expanding it from its travel size (about the equivalent of a marble) to capture/release mode (a large softball, but substantially more powerful). Ash had done the same, which meant that Gary had guessed correctly; Pikachu would remain on the sidelines for the moment.  
* * *  
  
"Trainers ready...and...BEGIN!" the judge dropped his flags, signaling the beginning of the match. Each trainer threw his Pokéball out into the middle of the field, releasing a set of blinding white energy that soon coalesced into a pair of Pocket Monsters.  
  
"Koo-kie, koooo-kie!" Ash's Kingler rumbled from its half of the field, snapping its massive claws.  
  
"Kahn!" Gary's choice, a Kangaskahn sans infant, stamped its feet and leapt forward with fire in its eyes. Kingler made a valiant effort to stop the larger Pokémon's charge, but couldn't force the Kangaskahn's blitz back; the giant crab took a clawed foot to the face, tumbling backwards until it rolled to a stop a mere inch from the edge of the ring. Confident, the Kangaskahn kangaroo-hopped forward, trying to best use its momentary advantage.  
  
"Kingler, Harden quick!" Ash shouted desperately at his punch-drunk crustacean. Kingler was surrounded with a golden aura as its skin became as hard as steel. When Kangaskahn's foot met with Kingler's exoskeleton, the brown titan was horrified to find that the crab wasn't moving, and that its foot was screaming with pain. Kangaskahn soon followed suit, howling in agony and hopping on one foot as the other became swollen and blue. Ash regained some of his own confidence as Kingler got back to its long, spindly feet and shook off the effects of the first hit. "Okay Kingler, now let's finish him off with a Hyperbeam!"  
  
Kingler responded with a grunted "Koo-kie!" and raised the larger of its two claws, taking aim. Kingler's claw blasted forth with a golden stream of deadly energy as Kangaskahn hobbled away on its injured foot. The beam struck the Kangaskahn square in the back, lifting it up off of its feet and carrying it across the field, slamming it into the base of Gary's podium with explosive force. Gary very nearly lost his footing, narrowly keeping hold of the railing as his Kangaskahn slumped against the trainer's box. The judge hadn't even waited for Kangaskahn to hit the podium before raising the green flag.  
* * *  
  
"Kangaskahn is unable to battle. Kingler takes the first faint!" Up on the score board, a single red box disappeared from its place next to Gary's image, leaving only two remaining.  
  
Gary forced himself to take a deep breath, calming his nerves. He began to reach for the Pokéball in the far right port, but forcibly stopped himself; it wasn't time yet. Instead, he selected his other Pokémon, tossing it. Losing the first faint often didn't mean a thing; with no callbacks, Gary was free and clear to hammer Ash's Kingler with an elemental disadvantage. "Let's do it, Weepingbell!"  
* * *  
  
"Bell!" Gary's large yellow Grass type was recreated from the wash of white light as its Pokéball snapped back to its owner's hand. Weepingbell bounced out into the ring, wasting no time much as Kangaskahn hadn't. Ash was sweating bullets, but didn't call Kingler back; with any luck, the crab could inflict some damage before Weepingbell took the Water type down. "Weepingbell."  
  
"Okay Kingler, let's give him a Crab Hammer!" Kingler leapt into the air with its 'Koo-kie' battlecry ringing across the field as it raised its massive claw high, coming down on Gary's Weepingbell with a devastating non-elemental attack. Weepingbell's soft body took the brunt of the blow, but the dopey plant was driven into the ground with the force of Kingler's attack regardless. Ash prayed that Weepingbell had a glass jaw, but it wasn't to be; Gary's plant bounced out of the shallow crater, slashing at Kingler with its long vines. Kingler was struck across the face, spinning with the force of the blow as a jolt of Grass elemental energy charged from the vines into its body. The massive crab smacked into the ground, clearly unconscious; a quick call by the judge, and a green light next to Ash's image disappeared from the score board.  
  
The fight was now two-on-two, but the odds were hardly even; it was now Ash's turn to play the elemental card, and he played it well. "Okay Charizard, it's your turn!" Ash released his dragon of fire, which returned to a solid state, bellowing a terrifying roar as it swooped over the field. Before Ash could even issue orders, Charizard blasted Gary's ill-fated Weepingbell with a ferocious bath of red-hot flames, nearly vaporizing the Pokémon. All that remained of Gary's Grass type was a blackened, charred mass that lay on the ground, whimpering in agony.  
* * *  
  
Gary immediately recalled the poor Pokémon, losing another light on the scoreboard. Two-on-one; now he was in trouble. He pulled out his last Pokéball, kissing it for luck. He had little to worry about, however; if his plan worked, the championship would be his. First, though, he would need to dispose of this flaming menace.  
* * *  
  
"Go, Alakazam!"  
  
In an instant, Alakazam joined the fray; standing four feet tall, Gary's Alakazam wasn't much to look at; appearing to be a freakish cross between a weasel and a human, it stood on spindled legs and possessed thin limbs, a large head, an elongated snout, and small, pointed ears. A polished silver spoon was clutched in each of the Psychic Pokémon's three-fingered hands, gleaming in the bright light of the stadium. Ash looked at his new opponent with a hint of dread, not looking forward to this next match-up; Psychic types were notoriously unpredictable, and were often unbeatable. Still, Charizard was by no means a bad choice for this match. Ash wouldn't trust his Charizard too far, but he was certain that he could count on the fiery lizard in a fight. "Okay, Charizard, it's time to pour on the speed!"  
  
Charizard roared, complying with Ash's orders; beating its massive wings, the dragon began to circle the ring at high speed. As Ash had hoped, Alakazam was having a hard time getting a mental bead on the Charizard, and couldn't launch an attack with the deadly accuracy that characterized Psychic types.  
  
Gary, however, was ready for this. "Alakazam, Disable Wave!" Alakazam raised its silver spoons, scowling at the speed-blurred form of Ash's Charizard. It began to concentrate, creating a blue aura around the spoons as it gathered psychic energy for its attack; with a blast of blue-white light, a wave of destructive force was released from Alakazam's spoons, moving upward and outward from its point of origin at a fantastic rate. The unfortunate Charizard was caught right in the middle of the disabling energies, spinning to the earth as it lost all consciousness and control. Alakazam stood over its fallen foe, placing a foot on the lizard's head and raising its spoons high into the air with a cheer.  
* * *  
  
"Typical," Ash muttered. "Gary's Pokémon showboat just like he does..." The worst part of it all was the crowd; they were eating the Alakazam's antics up, screaming and stamping their feet, making as much noise as they could for their new favorite and his Psychic dynamo. His blood boiling, Ash looked down at his Pika-partner standing down by the base of the box, giving the thunderous mouse a nod. He and Pikachu would show these people exactly what it was to show off.  
* * *  
  
"Pika!" Bottom of the match, two out, and Pikachu was up to bat. Ash decided to make the first move quickly, while Gary was still enrapturing the crowd.  
  
"Pikachu, Agility!" Pikachu leapt forward at lightning speeds, leaving a trail of starry sparks in its wake. This time, Alakazam couldn't even use its Disable Wave to take the mouse out as it had Charizard; it couldn't hit what it couldn't see, and Pikachu was moving too fast for its highly-trained eye to follow. Before Gary knew it, Pikachu was bouncing off of his Alakazam's head with a series of Quick Attacks. Alakazam was trying to bounce back with its Recover technique, but Pikachu's dizzying headshots were making it hard for the Psychic type to concentrate.  
  
"Alakazam!" Gary howled with frustration, slamming his fist against the podium, "Do something!"  
  
But it appeared to be too late for Alakazam; Ash had ordered Pikachu through a series of gravity-defying flips, placing the mighty mouse behind its psychic opponent. Whereas before Alakazam seemed to be unbeatable, it now appeared that the Psychic type was a stuffed toy being bombarded by Pikachu's powerful Thundershock and Thunderbolt. It stood in the center of the ring, wobbling on its feet as the Pikachu ran circles around its electrocuted opponent. Helpless, Gary looked across the field and directly into Ash's gaze; judging by the smirk on his rival's face, Ketchum was gearing up for the final blow. It was now or never; time to pull out his last ace in the hole.  
  
"Alakazam, Special Kinesis!" Gary's heart raced as he saw his Alakazam's eyes glow blood red. The Psychic type made a few quick gestures with its wiry arms, chanting with its limited vocabulary. Oddly enough, its spoons were pointed not at Pikachu, but instead at its trainer.  
* * *  
  
Ash leaned against his trainer's podium, grinning in anticipation; the final moment would be sweet, when he defeated Gary once and for all. "Pikachu, Thund-AAAAAAAAAAAA!" Without warning, defying all sense and reason, Ash was bombarded with a pain he had never felt before. His vision became a field of pure white, and it seemed that his eyes had become living flame and were trying to burn out of his skull. Then, as quickly as the pain had come, it was gone. His vision, however, was still less than perfect; all he could see was white, no matter where he looked or how hard he blinked. He screamed again, this time more out of frustration than of pain as he clutched his eyes, rubbing uselessly in an attempt to regain his sight.  
* * *  
  
Pikachu's attention shot back to its trainer at the first cry of pain, its tiny yellow-black ears perked with concern. The crowd, however, had not noticed Ash's plight and remained focused on the match. Pikachu gasped in shock; Ash's eyes were glowing! Normally with irises of golden amber, Pikachu's trainer now possessed glowing orbs where his eyes once were. The Pokémon would have been better off showing concern for its opponent rather than its trainer; Gary still possessed perfect sight, and wasn't wasting this opportunity.  
  
"Alakazam, Psybeam now!"  
  
"Ala!" Alakazam powered up, creating a huge globe of glowing yellow Kai betwixt its spoons. The crowd roared with approval, with the exception of Ash's only friends among the crowd.  
  
"No!" Misty screamed, leaning against the railing of the stadium, trembling with fear for Pikachu, trembling with worry for Ash.  
  
"FINISH IT!" Gary cried out, lifting a fist in victory.  
  
The moment seemed to happen in slow motion, especially for Misty; she could hear every individual voice of the crowd screaming and yelling; she could see Pikachu and Alakazam frozen in time, the latter poised to attack, and the former oblivious to the danger; she could count each heartbeat as it slammed into her ribcage, pounding in her ears. The Psybeam leapt from Alakazam's lethal spoons, lancing towards Ash's power-packed rodent. The golden spear traveled slowly in Misty's mind's eye, traveling inch by inch across the desolate ground of the Stadium. After what seemed an eternity, it lanced into Pikachu with bone-jarring force, engulfing the tiny rodent in a burning field of mental power. Soundlessly, the Pikachu fell to the ground and lay there, motionless. At this distance, Misty couldn't even be sure that the Pokémon was breathing.   
  
The once-roaring crowd was now speechless, waiting for the judge to speak. It was hardly necessary, though; they all knew what he was going to say. "Pikachu is unable to battle. Alakazam is the winner." the judge's voice rang out over the loudspeaker, echoing in the quiet field. Lights flashed around Gary's image on the scoreboard, congratulating the trainer on his victory. For a moment, the Stadium remained dead silent, as if the audience was still absorbing the information. It didn't last for long.  
  
"Hooray for Gary!" someone screamed from high up in the nosebleed sections. That was all it took for the crowd to explode with frenzied cheering and yelling, stamping their feet and pounding their hands together. Amidst the storm of fanatics, Ash's cheering section remained defiantly still; Mrs. Ketchum was moaning in sympathy for poor Pikachu whilst Brock and Richie gazed grimly out upon the field, still not understanding how it could have happened.  
  
"Ash had that match in the bag...I don't get it." Richie muttered, glaring daggers at Gary as the arrogant trainer took his bows and blew kisses to the crowd. Brock didn't say a word. True to his element, the beefy teen remained silent as a stone.  
  
"Oh, Ash...Pikachu..." Misty whispered as concern, among other feelings, filling her heart.  
* * *  
  
Ash's vision was slowly getting better, but he still couldn't see clearly; instead of a bright field of white, the trainer was able to see the blurred outlines of Indigo Stadium from his inside perspective atop the trainer's box. He hadn't needed to hear the judge's call to know what had happened; Pikachu had taken a hard hit. His best friend had fallen, and it was all his fault. Though his eyes were less than sterling, his ears could hear the voice of T. G. Masters as it broadcasted over the loudspeaker system for all to hear.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over! THE MATCH IS OVER! GARY IS THE WINNER!"  
  
Ash dropped to his hands and knees; hearing it out loud was severely different from knowing it inside. It had finally happened...he had lost the Indigo Championship.  
  
He had lost to Gary.  
  
Gary had won.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #9  
The League Games, Part II  
  
Quiet Hindsight  
So Gary won the match, beating Ash by a hair...but was the match fair-and-square? Just what 'was' Gary's special last-ditch plan? And why did Ash lose his sight at exactly the wrong moment? Find out all this and nothing more on the next exciting episode of Pokémon: BadgeQuest!  



	9. The League Games: Part 2

=Author's Note=  
When last we met on Pokémon: Badgequest...a lot of stuff had gone wrong, at least for Ash. Jeez, I don't want to explain it all...just read the other friggin' part, why don'cha?  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Like so many, many of you, I, too, don't own Pokémon. I wish I did, but I don't. If you want to sue someone, try Nintendo...I hear they have a lot of money to spare.  
  
BadgeQuest #9  
The League Games, Part II  
  
It was the match of the century, and it had all come down to one final hit; Alakazam powered up, creating a huge globe of glowing yellow Kai betwixt its spoons as the crowd roared and surged with excitement. Pikachu's oversized heart would prove to be its downfall; at the first outcry of pain and anguish from Ash, the thunderous mouse had shifted attention from the battle over to its trainer. Alakazam did not waste the opportunity, and struck without mercy or hesitation. The psychic bolt blasted the tiny electric rodent Pokémon, ending the match and deciding the Championship of the Indigo League. The announcer summed it up in one quick, booming announcement:  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over! THE MATCH IS OVER! GARY IS THE WINNER!"  
  
*Click*  
  
renniwehtsiyragrevosihctamehtrevosihctamehtnemeltnegdnaseidal  
  
*Click*  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over! THE MATCH IS OVER! GARY IS THE WINNER!"  
  
*Click*  
  
renniwehtsiyragrevosihctamehtrevosihctamehtnemeltnegdnaseidal  
  
*Click*  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over! THE MATCH IS OVER! GARY IS THE WINNER!"  
  
*Click*  
* * *  
  
Ash rewound the tape again, as he had been doing for what seemed like an eternity. His posterior was firmly planted in the luxurious couch resting in the living room of the rustic cabin assigned to him and his friends. The trainer had scarcely moved in twelve hours, little more time then had passed since his match with Gary...he hadn't eaten, he hadn't slept. The only thing he had done since placing Pikachu and the others in the capable hands of Nurse Joy had been to watch and re-watch the tape of the match, rewinding and playing in an endless cycle of futility.  
  
'What did I do wrong?' the voice kept running through his mind as he watched the final moments over and over again, wearing the videorecording out well before its time. 'Didn't I train hard enough? Didn't I want it bad enough?' His soul felt as if it was in shreds, but outside he remained steady as a stone. 'Why?'  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over! THE MATCH IS OVER! GARY IS THE WINNER!"  
  
*Click*  
  
He had grown to hate that voice...it had sang out with praise for Gary's victory so very many times in the last day. Ash felt as if his world was crashing down around him; why had so many abandoned him in his hour of need? Where was Bruno, where were the fans? Where was Professor Oak?  
  
Ash let the tape rewind further, going back in time once again to before Pikachu had fainted. One question kept popping back into his mind as he sat there, not moving an inch: Why had he lost his vision all of a sudden? Eyes didn't stop working suddenly, and for no reason... He was certain that he could have won the match if he could have seen the situation, if he could have given Pikachu instructions. And yet, he hadn't, and had paid dearly for it: Pikachu was in real danger, and might not survive the night.  
  
"Ash?" Misty stuck her head in the dim, darkened room. The light of the flickering television cast eerie shadows across her worry-creased face, her pale skin shimmering in the unnatural light. Her fiery red hair cascaded into her eyes, obstructing her already-poor vision in the bad lighting. Her hand reached for the light switch, but was cut off by Ash's uncharacteristically gruff voice.  
  
"Leave the light off. I prefer the dark."  
  
She blinked, entering the room with reserved hesitation. "Oh-kay..." Crossing the room in several quick strides, she dropped down on the couch next to him. The teenage vixen placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to grab his attention without success. "Ash...hon...you know we all love you, right?" He didn't budge, watching the tape as it rewound once more. Scowling, she tried harder. "What I'm trying to say is; I...I mean, 'we' think that you've been obsessing just a wee bit with this whole losing business."  
  
*Click*  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over! THE MATCH IS OVER! GARY IS THE WINNER!"  
  
*Click*  
  
She sighed, throwing up her hands. "Will you even speak to me?" His quiet rage was her answer, screaming at her with a silence she had never seen before in her loudmouthed companion. It was frightening, in a way; in the past, when Ash was angry, everyone within twenty miles knew about it. Now, however, he was bottling it up inside. Who knew when it would explode? Then a though occurred to her; "You know what? You're too old to be pouting over a lost match. Do you know why?" He didn't even flinch. "Because it's your BIRTHDAY!" She hadn't lied; Ash's birthday had fallen on the tail end of the Indigo Games this year. Ash, however, didn't seem to put the same enthusiasm behind the thought as Misty had.  
  
'This isn't working...' she thought glumly, turning to the door. "Okay guys, time for Plan B!"  
  
The door to the room burst open suddenly, giving passage to the rest of Ash's companions; Brock, Richie, his mother, and Speedy, the local eatery establishment's rotund, pleasant owner/operator. Everyone save Speedy was empty-handed. Speedy, however, was laden with a large, magnificent cake with golden yellow-brown frosting. They began to sing:  
  
Happy birthday to you,  
Happy birthday to you!  
You look like a Grimer,  
And you smell like Muk, too!  
  
"Sixteen years, and he's still alive. If that isn't reason to celebrate, nothing is!" Misty spoke out for the group, giving Ash a huge birthday hug. When she released him, she was a bit annoyed and very worried to see that the teen wasn't even phased. "Ash, aren't you going to say anything?"  
  
Brock tried next, laying a hand on Ash's shoulder. "C'mon Ash, try your cake."  
  
"It's your faaaaaaaavorite." Richie coaxed him. He dipped his finger into the thick frosting, popping it into his mouth. As soon as the concoction hit his tastebuds, his face became contorted like a Magikarp's. "Ugh! Peanut butter and banana..."  
  
"Go on, Ash...please." the mother pleaded her son to no avail; his eyes were still glued to the television, endlessly watching his moment of failure. "Oh Ash..."  
  
Misty, however, didn't share Mrs. Ketchum's reserved attitude towards Ash's obsession. "Goddess forsake it all! You're taking this 'way' out of proportion, Ash Ketchum! If you want to sit here and stew in your own rotten, vile juices, I say 'more power to you', you little sack of ego!" She huffed, stalking off towards the door with the entire room (sans Ash) staring at her with disbelief.  
  
"Really, now, Ms. W, that was a little rough..." Speedy lamented, but was cut off violently.  
  
"He's taking this too far, Speedy. Trust me, I've seen it before; he's blind to his own obsession with the whole thing." She turned back to Ash, shouting at him, "You're blind, do you hear me? BLIND!"  
  
Blind...that was what caused this mess in the beginning, wasn't it? He watched the tape again, hearing Gary call out commands to his Alakazam: "Special Kinesis" his tinny voice rang out from the TV's speakers, just as it had done so a hundred times since he had gotten the tape. For some reason, though, it kept playing over and over in his head, along with Misty's words.  
  
BLIND!  
  
Special Kinesis  
  
BLIND!  
  
Special Kinesis  
  
BLIND!  
  
BLIND!  
  
BLIND!  
  
"No..." It couldn't be. It simply couldn't be. He could blame the Pokémon, he could blame himself, but he could never believe that someone could stoop to...but it seemed like something Gary would do, especially if frustration and desperation had set in. No one, in the two hundred years of the Indigo League, had ever stooped to something that vile. He stood up, walking over to the TV and hitting the eject button, popping the video out into his waiting hand. Ignoring the stares of curiosity, he crossed the room, grabbed his strewn jacket from atop a kitchen chair, and made for the door.  
  
"Ash, where are you going?" Richie asked as the determined trainer sped past.  
  
"Out." Ash muttered.  
  
"But where-"  
  
"I SAID OUT, OKAY?" He slammed the door behind him, jarring the entire room. They stood there helplessly, wanting to go after him but afraid of what would happen if they did.  
  
"Happy Birthday..." Mrs. Ketchum whispered sadly.  
* * *  
  
The party had lasted all night, and was well on its way to lasting all day in Gary's League quarters. The music was loud, drinks were plentiful, and the small area was packed with people the new Champion didn't even know, all congratulating him on his victory as they ate his food and trashed his place...and he couldn't have been happier. After all these years of hard work and sacrifice, he had finally gotten exactly what he deserved. As far as he was concerned, it was about time, too. He stood in the middle, laughing with joy as he felt the bass of the music beating within his bones. With all the noise the crowd was producing, the bass was the only part you could hear. He was having the time of his life, until he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. Turning, Gary saw the face of the one person he most wanted to gloat to, and the one person he half expected to never see again.  
  
"Hey, Ketchum! C'mon in, join the party."  
  
Ash's face was grim, more so than Gary had ever seen it. "We need to talk. Now." He placed a hand on Gary's shoulder, gripping his rival firmly.  
  
Gary glanced down at the hand, setting his drink down on a table. "Hey-hey, no need to get violent, Ketchum. Sit down, stay a while. You want something to drink?" He grinned, enjoying every moment.  
  
"NOW!" Ash's face became blood red with anger as he screamed to be heard above the music. Gary was a bit taken aback, as were several of his fans standing next to him. He scowled, brushing Ash's hand off of his shoulder.  
  
"Well, if you insist, *Mr. Ketchum*." He gestured towards the door, letting Ash lead the way, making their way through the crowd until they managed to squeeze out of the room. Shutting the door behind him to cut the noise down, Gary turned to Ash with folded arms. "Okay, now what's so all-fired important that it has to interrupt-"  
  
"I know what you did."  
  
Gary's face became pale and ashen. He broke out in a cold sweat, swallowing nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, you can't prove anything."  
  
"Can't prove what?"  
  
Gary regained control, at least partially; while his hands still shook, his face remained calm and cool. "I thought you already knew."  
  
"I do." Ash gave him a cold, hard look, his usually bright amber eyes a cold, stone brown. "And so do you, Oak." He clenched his fists, trying to make them stop shaking with fury. "If you confess now, the League might show some leniency-"  
  
"Leniency for what?"  
  
That was the straw that broke the Rapidash's back; Ash lost any control that had remained, exploding with rage and anger. "LENIENCY FOR CHEATING, YOU LITTLE MONSTER!" His breathing became ragged as somehow, miraculously, he kept from throttling the young Oak to death.  
  
"What are you-"  
  
Ash gave him a cold, hard look that would have frozen a Jynx. "Two words: Special-Kinesis."  
  
Now Gary was 'really' nervous; how could he have known? "You can't prove anything, Ketchum. You don't have a leg left to stand on in this league."  
  
But Ash wasn't listening; he had turned and was stalking off, still fuming with rage. Gary was now more frightened than he had ever been. If Ash could prove what he had done, he wouldn't just lose his title...he could go to jail.  
* * *  
  
"Oh come on, Ash...that's a little far-fetched."  
  
Ash growled, shooting Misty a glare as he slumped against the table. The Velocity Burger's business had gone down substantially since the end of the games, which left Speedy with plenty of free time to spend with his best customers. The balding restaurant owner shook his head sadly as he ran an ancient dishrag over several spotted glasses, wiping away the grime and residue as he gazed at the despondent young trainer with disappointment. "You gotta admit, Mr. K...you'd have trouble believing Gary if he said som'n like that after *he* had lost-"  
  
"Don't you get it? I didn't lose, Gary cheated!" Ash slammed his fist down on the table, groaning with frustration. "Why don't you believe me?"  
  
"It isn't that we don't believe you..." Richie tried to explain, looking to Brock and Misty for a little help, "It's just that...uh..." Ash glared at him, drumming his fingers impatiently. "It's just..." He dropped his hands, defeated. "Okay, so it *is* like we don't believe you...but you have to admit, it is a little far-"  
  
"I'm not making this up!" Ash yelled, standing up. His chair flew back behind him, tipping over and skidding across the floor as he stomped out of the room without looking back.  
  
'Those jerks!' he thought, 'Those no-good...insufferable...' Ash was so angry he couldn't even think straight, unable to come up with an appropriate insult for his less-than-supportive friends. Friends were supposed to help other friends out during tough times, and these times were tougher than Ash had seen in a long time. Why didn't they believe him?  
  
He began to walk, not sure as to where his feet were leading him, and not particularly caring. His mind was filled with anger, hurt and frustration; it just wasn't fair! He knew-he KNEW- that Gary had cheated. His rival had not only trampled over the rules, but he had attacked another human being with a Pokémon, and a Psychic one at that. Without even thinking, Ash ended up outside of the league's Pokémon Center, a building that any trainer could recognize; soft, curving walls, an open and friendly set of doors, and a huge, flattened Pokéball inscribed with a cross that hung just above the entrance. Hesitating only momentarily, Ash stepped through the automatic doors and into the Center.  
  
The nurse on duty (a Joy, of course) smiled as she recognized him. "Oh, hello there, Ash! How are you today?"   
  
"Fine." he lied through his teeth, not really wanting to spread his rotten mood to the impossibly sweet Nurse Joy. "Um, has there been any change-?"  
  
Joy's smile dropped after Ash's question, her tiny, delicate features growing somber and grim. "No, I'm afraid not. The others are perfectly all right. I have them right here." she pulled a tray out from behind the counter, handing Ash a set of five Pokéballs. He accepted them with forced gratitude; these weren't the Pokémon he was really worried about at the moment. They weren't the ones in a coma...  
  
"Would it be all right if I visited?"  
  
Joy looked torn, knowing perfectly well that it was against a Center's policy to let guests in the back. Ultimately, though, she knew what the right answer was. "Only for a moment. He needs to rest." Ash nodded in agreement, and Joy led him through the sterile double doors into the Pokémon Intensive Care Unit [PICU].   
  
It was Ash's worst nightmare; everywhere he looked, a Pokémon was on the verge of dying. To his left were a string of Grass types with severe burns, shivering and shuddering, their wilted, blackened leaves shaking with the unnatural movement. To his right was just the opposite; a Charmander and a Growlithe were hopelessly tangled in stubborn Leach Seed vines, too thick to cut off and too tough to burn through. The vines were slowly sapping their strength, draining the very life from their reddened, warm bodies.  
  
"Right over here, Ash." Joy led him over to a secluded corner in the small room of horrors, to where his Pikachu lay. Ash gasped; he had forgotten how bad Pikachu had been when he had taken the Pokémon to the Center. There wasn't a mark on the yellow mouse anymore. Joy's care had seen to the physical needs of the injury. No, Pikachu looked...sickly. Its fur pale and lifeless, Pikachu was hooked up to a respirator that helped the rodent cling to life just a little bit longer. Ash reached out to touch his Pokémon, horrified to find its skin cold and clammy beneath its fur. Joy nodded once, then left the pair alone for the moment.  
  
"Hey Pikachu..." Ash said softly. "I know you can hear me right now." He chuckled, "I know doctors always say that that people in comas can't listen to anything, but...I know they're wrong." The trainer searched for the right words to say to his Pikachu, surprised that he was coming up short. "I...I know you're going to make it. We've been through tougher times then this." He laughed again, dredging up painful memories and using them to comfort him in the hour of darkness. "Remember when Haunter killed us? Remember how one of the first thing I decided to do was to take Misty for a joyride? Or how about the time when we got the three treasures to calm the titans? Sure, Lugia helped a little, but it was you and me all the way." He sniffled, "It's always been you and me, all the way..."  
  
Ash was openly weeping now; tears of pain and sorrow were streaming down his cheeks, dripping onto Pikachu's stark white bedsheets. "This is all my fault, Pikachu...it's my fault you're in here." He reached out, clutching Pikachu's tiny claws in his own hands. "I should have expected Gary to pull something like that...I should have been ready...I shouldn't have panicked when I went blind...I should have...I should have..." He sobbed, burying his face into the bed. There had to have been something he could have done! After a moment of agony, he lifted his head from the sheets, his face transformed into a mask of vengeance and fury.  
  
"I'm going to make things right, Pikachu. I'm going to get my title back...our title. It was as much yours as it was mine, and I'm not going to let Gary have it." He stood up, fists curled tightly.  
  
"I won't let him."  
* * *  
  
Bruno walked into the Velocity Burger not long after Ash had left, clad in his casual manner; long, baggy pants, an open maroon vest and a black, long-sleeved shirt to keep the chill of the overcast weather away. With the restaurant closed and Speedy working in the back, the three teens were all that remained in the large room. Misty, who had been staring down at the counter in depression, glanced upward at the burly master. For some reason, Bruno had always reminded her of a larger, brawnier, sexier version of Brock with soft, brown eyes that always seemed on the alert. She grunted in acknowledgement to him, then continued to stare at the countertop with a sigh of self-pity.  
  
"What's with her?" Bruno asked, scratching his massive, spiky-haired head.  
  
Brock shrugged, moving over to greet the Elite visitor. "Don't mind Misty...she's always in a mood when her boyfriend's having a snit." This comment was promptly received with a flying salt shaker straight to Brock's head, which he did his best to shake off. In the meantime, Richie had volunteered to speak up, asking why Bruno had come.  
  
"Ash asked me to meet him here..." Bruno explained, craning his neck to search the extent of the restaurant. "But it doesn't look like he's here..."  
  
"That's because he's not." Misty grumbled without turning around. "He stormed off like a little baby when we didn't believe some half-baked, crackpot theory of his."  
  
"Let me guess; Ash thinks that Gary cheated in the final bout with Pikachu." Bruno stated. This got them all snapped out of the funk that seemed to be hanging in the air; even Brock, who was suffering from a mild head injury, stared in slack-jawed shock at Bruno's revelation. "I thought so."  
  
"H-how did you know?" Misty swiveled on the stool, eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
Bruno dug into the pocket of his massive vest, pulling out a small vidpad; a video recording/playing pad. Holding it out so the others could crowd around his tree trunk of an arm, the larger man thumbed the play mechanism. To Misty's chagrin, the tape of Ash's final battle began playing on the tiny screen.  
  
"Gee, this looks familiar..." Richie drawled, beating Misty to a sarcastic comment. Bruno shushed him, letting the tape continue. After a moment, Pikachu's epic battle with Alakazam began to replay in front of their eyes as it had a hundred times in Ash's presence. "What's the big deal, we've all seen this before."  
  
Bruno thumbed in another command, bringing up a secondary viewbox within the projection. Misty couldn't help but wonder just how a man with fingers as large as Bruno's could even hope to operate such a small control surface. "Ash asked me to take a look at the tape...he mentioned one of Gary's attacks. The funny thing was, he didn't want me to observe Pikachu during the attack. He wanted me to watch him in the trainer's box. Take a look, you'll understand." He hit play once more, letting the recording continue on.  
  
*Alakazam, Special Kinesis! * Gary's tinny voice rang out from the small device. Misty, Brock and Richie kept a careful eye on the small screen while still trying to look at the main picture, dividing their focus. Within a moment, they understood what Bruno had been talking about; as Alakazam's spoons powered up with psychic energy, the small image of Ash began screaming, clawing at his eyes as if they were ablaze. As the battle raged on, it became apparent that Ash's eyes were aglow with unearthly light.  
  
Bruno froze the image, leaving the digital Ash petrified in a stance of agony and anguish. He looked at his young friends with frankness. "As I see it, there's only one thing that could have happened..."  
  
Brock whistled. "I'll be a Mankey's uncle...no one's 'ever' cheated in the Games, not in all the centuries they've been around." Folding his arms, he studied the vidpad more carefully, scrutinizing both the Alakazam and his downtrodden friend. "No wonder Ash was so livid about it...he wasn't just gypped, he was assaulted!" Richie nodded, voicing his agreement. A soft moan, however, drew both their attentions away from each other and in Misty's direction.  
  
The Mistress of Water lay her head down on the countertop, slumped in one of the stools. "Oh my God. Ash tried to tell us, and we called him a liar...right to his face." She felt like hiding in a cave for the next thousand years...maybe then the shame of betraying Ash would disappear.  
  
Brock took a similar stance of embarrassment, but managed to hide it. "C'mon, we have to find Ash before he does something crazy!"  
  
"What on Earth do you think he'd do?" Bruno asked. He didn't know Ash nearly as well as the others.  
  
"Knowing Ash, it'll be something half-cocked and insane..." Richie mused.  
* * *  
  
Gary sat in his small mini-apartment, flipping through the channels on his television without paying mind to any one of them. His thoughts, instead, were focused on his confrontation with Ash earlier in the day. Ketchum knew, he 'knew'! How could he have known? There were only five more hours before the final ceremonies, and the passing of the League Badge. He couldn't lose his championship in only five hours, could he? It wasn't-  
  
*BAM!*  
  
*BAM!*  
  
*BAM!*  
  
Gary whirled around, leaning against the soft leather upholstery of the couch as he looked just in time to see his door give way to the repeated poundings. On the other side of the broken barrier stood Ash, shoulders hunched and fists curl tightly. His blue league jacket was wrinkled, dingy; his jeans likewise. The trainer's face was haggard and tired, with drooping bags under each eye. Still, Ash managed to pull off a fearsome stance, squaring off against his couch-planted rival.  
  
"W-what do you want, Loser?" Gary managed to stammer out, trying to keep the bravado from escaping his voice. "I have nothing to say to you."  
  
"But I have a lot to say to you," Ash uttered in a low, controlled voice. He walked forward, leaning down to put his face mere inches from Gary's. The newest addition to the Indigo Hall of Fame could see his old enemy's anger rooted deep in the other trainer's eyes. It was something Gary had never seen before in Ash; an unadulterated rage that seemed to seep from every pore. It poured in waves out of Ash's golden amber eyes, like floodgates into his soul of passion. "Do you realize what you did?"  
  
"I-"  
  
Ash held up a hand, shushing him. "Shut up. Of course you don't; any fool would never assault another human being if he realized the consequences and never think of it again. Likewise with cheating in an official league event." Ash put his hand down, inching even closer to Gary. Their noses very nearly bumped together before Ash stopped moving, remaining frozen as he gazed down at Gary with contempt. "If you step down as Champion tonight, I might forget it ever happened."  
  
"Forget what happened?" Gary tried to play dumb. Ash continued to glare at him, never budging. After what seemed an eternity, the taller trainer cracked, jumping up off of the couch as he threw his arms into the air. "Okay, OKAY! So I cheated; so I had my Alakazam attack you with Kinesis. So what?"  
  
Ash couldn't believe his ears. "So what? Gary, you *cheated*! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"  
  
"Of course it means something! It was the difference between winning and losing!" Gary began to pace furiously, his fists shaking down by his hip. He shot Ash a wicked glare before continuing to rant, "Do you know what it was like? I came here, year after year, and all I did was lose!"  
  
"What are you talking about? Gary, you were the League Winner three years in a row. That's a great achievement!" Ash's anger had subsided in place of incredulity; how could Gary be ashamed of beating all but one person? He voiced his thought, which sent Gary over the edge.  
  
"How would you know, Ketchum? You were that ONE person. It didn't matter if I beat the others, I had to beat you!" His eyes were wild, uncontrollable, as his pace quickened. "Every time, it didn't matter how hard I trained; you would swoop in, riding your high horse, and snatch the real win from my grasp." In the blink of an eye, Gary crossed the distance spanning the two trainers, grabbing hold of Ash's lapels and shaking him. "Do you know what that's like?"  
  
Ash shoved him off violently, knocking Gary to the floor with a thud. Gary stared up at his enemy; the move had surprised him, knocking some sense and ego back into him. "What about me, Gary? Huh? Do you have any idea what it's like to lose because someone else cheats?" Ash was shouting now, well above what Gary's voice had been. "The worst part is, no one will believe me!"  
  
"That's not my problem, Ketchum." Gary got up, dusting himself off. "If you're expecting me to come forward and admit anything, you can forget it." He pointed towards the broken door, his back turned on Ash. "Get out. Proving my own guilt isn't my problem, it's yours."  
  
Ash feigned a sullen, grim expression, managing to fit a corny line into his exit; "This isn't over, Oak. I'll be back." The truth was, though, he wouldn't need to be; as he strutted out the door and down the tight corridor, Ash patted a small miracle bulge in his jacket pocket. Proving his own guilt wasn't Gary's problem...and now, it wasn't Ash's either.  
* * *  
  
"Okay, OKAY! So I cheated; so I had my Alakazam attack you with Kinesis. So what?"  
  
"Let's hear it again, Dexter."  
  
Sitting atop a table in the now-emptied Velocity Burger, Ash's Pokémon Database/Experimental eXocomputer [Pokédex] buzz-clicked and rewound, giving his best Bogey impression. "Play it again, Sam."  
  
"Okay, OKAY! So I cheated; so I had my Alakazam attack you with Kinesis. So what?"  
  
Ash leaned back against the table, sighing with pleasure. He looked up at his clan of doubtful supporters, the shock registering on their faces for the third time today. Brock, Misty, and Richie; they all wore the same expression. "Well, well, well, what's this? Ash was right?" He mock-gasped, clasping his hands to either cheek. "What, cat got your tongue?"  
  
"I...I'm speechless." Brock's voice was the first to return.  
  
Ash continued his condescending mockery. "Hmm. How about, 'Gee, Ash, sorry we called you a liar to your face.' Or maybe 'Sorry for not supporting you when you were down and out, Ash.' Would those work?"  
  
"All right, all right, lay off." Richie held up a hand of warning to his smug comrade, looking down at Dexter as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Picking up the device (not without some minor protests from Dexter itself), he examined the screen, which held a word-for-word description of the recording.   
  
"So what do we do now?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'what do we do'?" Ash snatched the Pokédex from Richie's hand. At the same time, he pulled a small diskette from his pocket and held it delicately between his thumb and forefinger. "I take this disk to the Elite Four and play it for them. Whether they hate me or not, they can't ignore something like this." Misty, who had been quiet up until this point, sounded off with a disappointed sigh. Ash whirled on her, brutally attacking her with a manner that was totally out of character and uncalled for. "What? What is it now that displeases the *sensational* Misty Waterflower?"  
  
Misty didn't say a word. Very calmly, she pushed her chair back and rose from her seat. Turning to face Ash, she brought her hand up and struck his face with a lightning-fast backhand. Ash spun around, clutching his injured jaw. He looked at her with fire in his eyes, shaking with fury. "What was that for?" he spat.  
  
"That was to knock some sense into you." She uttered, rubbing her hand. "Jeez, Ash, your head hasn't gotten any softer since the last time I did that." Ash's anger subsided a bit, the redness disappearing from all but the wounded part of his face.  
  
Ash rubbed his sore cheek, groaning. "Try not to make a habit of it. Okay, you have my attention; better use it before I lose consciousness."  
  
Misty sighed, gently taking Dexter from Ash's hand. If anyone had taken the time to pay attention to the device, they might have noticed that it didn't put up the fuss it had made when Richie had laid hand on it. That was beside the point, though; "Ash...You're going about this all wrong."  
  
"What? I'm just trying to get what's rightfully mine. This is my dream, remember? To be the Pokémon Champion-"  
  
"Wrong." she cut him off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your dream was to be a Pokémon Master of the world." She put her hands on her hips, 'hmmf'ing loudly. "Not champion of just 'one' league."  
  
Richie nodded in agreement; she had hit the nail right on the head. "Don't you remember, Ash? Don't you remember the promise?"  
  
Years rushed past Ash's mind's eye. The trainer managed to catch glimpses of his own past as they whirled through his head, spinning in an endless vortex of vertigo and recollection. Images leapt out in his mind. One stood out among the rest...  
* * *  
  
"Hey Ash!"  
  
Ash looked up, his hands cupped behind his head as he lay on the grassy hill. His new friend, Richie, was on his feet and looking far off into the distance, as if he was searching for something.  
  
"Ash," his chestnut-haired companion continued, "Let's make a promise, right now; let's promise to become Pokémon Masters!"  
  
Ash let the words ring through his cap-covered mind, drawing them out as if to examine them carefully. Pokémon Master... Did he have what it would take? Could he really hope to ever be considered among the handful of elite trainers, revered for centuries? Was he strong enough? Smart enough? What about his Pokémon?  
  
"Okay! Pokémon Masters!" Ash leapt to his feet, casting aside all doubts. By the Goddess, he *would* be a Master, if it took him the rest of his life! "You hear that?" he shouted out to the world, laughing and filled with exuberance, "POKéMON MASTERS!!!"  
  
Pokémon Masters...  
* * *  
  
The crowd was once more cheering, screaming Gary's name out in the filled-beyond-capacity stadium. Every man, woman and child in the twilight-lit stadium was there to see the final ceremonies. Fireworks boomed overhead, sending a splash of light and color over the bedazzled fans. Three 'fans' in particular were awestruck, but not by the flashy displays of pyrotechnics overhead.  
  
"Hey, where's the peanut guy?" James placed a hand over his eyes like a visor, trying to block out the blinding light of the firecrackers soaring above. "I'm starved."  
  
"Meow! All you tink about is dat stomach of yours..." Meowth grimaced, sitting atop Jessie's massive sweep of hair and looking upward at the fiery sunset sky. Jessie, however, was much less frivolous than her partners. She shushed them, trying to spot their target among the officials crowded at the base of the steps to the Torch of Moltres. "What?"  
  
"Quiet, you flea-bitten mongrel! I want to see if the twerp is going to show..." Jessie scolded her feline partner, swatting him with her free hand while holding a pair of binoculars up to her eyes with the other. "Let's see..." There was that geezer, Goodshow...the Elite Four, though three of them didn't seem to be talking to the fourth, the towering mass of muscle...the twerp's rival... "Where is he?" Jessie muttered.  
* * *  
  
"Where is he?" Misty muttered, scanning the field with her naked eye from the executive box seats. Craning her neck, she tried to see the small portion of the field directly below their seats, only managing to tip off balance. Brock leaned forward and grabbed the young lady by the scruff of her neck as her arms pinwheeled wildly, saving her from a lethal plummet. Sighing with relief, she thanked Brock, then went back to searching. "Where could he be?"  
  
"I really wish you'd stop asking that..." Richie uttered, his own eyes trained on the field. None of them had seen Ash since he had left the Velocity Burger. Thankfully, he hadn't been brooding, or psychotic, or even angry. Ash had seemed...pensive. For Ash, that was a totally unexplored mindset; Richie wasn't sure how his friend and rival would handle the past events with a level head. Come late? Go berserk? Most definitely, but Ash would never, not ever, even think about backing down from a hardship...even when it meant losing something dear to him.  
  
"Wait, there he is!"  
* * *  
  
Ash Ketchum strode onto the stadium's main field, feeling ten feet tall and about a hundred years old. He was clad in stark, drab attire; a black League jacket with white and red trim, accompanied by black denim jeans. His trusty, if slightly battered and filthy, league cap was perched atop his head, bill swiveled to cover his neck. His eyes were staring straight out front, never focusing on anything or anyone for more than an instant as he made his way over to the small stage erected at the base of the steps.  
  
Goodshow was immediately relieved to see that Ash had indeed come, and not run off to skip the final ceremonies. He motioned for the officials and commentators to stand back, leaving only himself, the Elite Four, and Gary to claim the limelight at center stage. Clearing his throat, the old timer began the grim festivities. "Ladies and gentlemen, today is a momentous event; you are here today to witness the passing of the torch from one League Champion to the next." Radiating dangerously high levels of pride, Gary stepped forward, standing in front of Goodshow and bowing his head with respect. Ash, too, walked to face Goodshow. His expression was unreadable as he folded his arms across his chest. Goodshow continued; "Gary Oak, do you accept the enormous responsibility of representing the finest that Indigo Plateau has to offer, both in and out of the Indigo League?"  
  
"You'd better believe...I mean, yes sir!" Gary exclaimed with an uncharacteristic note of glee. Goodshow nodded, then turned to Ash.   
  
"Mr. Ketchum," he asked, "Do you accept the League's ruling, and admit defeat to Gary, having lost to him in a fair and honorable battle?"  
  
Time froze as Ash pondered the question. Sticking his hands deep into his jacket's pockets, he turned his head to meet Gary's eyes. The entire crowd held their breath, waiting for Ash's answer, but Ash neither noticed nor cared about them anymore. His gaze bored into Gary's skull as his he drew his hand out of his jacket; supported between two of Ash's fingers was a small diskette, the kind used in audio devices. It took Gary exactly two seconds to realize what was on that disk, and another half-second for his eyes to grow as wide as saucers. Nervous sweat began pouring off of the cheater's skin, dripping down his shirt and off of his pointed chin. Ash broke the gaze, looking down at the disk. With a quick flip of the wrist, he tossed the thin metallic circle away and off the stage.  
  
"I lost."  
  
Goodshow nodded, extracting a small box from his own thick wool jacket. "Very well. Then please, Mr. Ketchum, bestow the new badge of office of Indigo League Champion to Mr. Oak." Opening the box, he revealed the latest badge to come out of Indigo; it was a beautifully crafted triangular pin, with a criss-crossing black and white border, a yellow background field, and the stylized league 'L' dominating the center.   
  
Ash took it from the box, gently holding it in the palm of his hand. For a moment, he just examined the badge with wonder. The crowd was starting to turn blue in the face from holding their breath for so long, and was starting to turn ugly. They went berserk at Ash's next actions; he leaned over, putting his face down to his cupped hand, and spit onto the badge with disdain. Standing upright once more, he let his hand roll to the side, dropping the badge to the plywood surface of the stage. Raising his knee almost to his face, he brought his foot down on the badge with a *CRUNCH*, snapping it into four haphazard pieces. The crowd began to boo him as Gary whimpered, looking down at his broken badge with watering eyes.  
  
"Mr. Ketchum!" President Goodshow protested, but Ash held up a hand to stop the old man. He reached into his jacket once more, this time pulling out a badge; his badge. His was very similar to what would have been Gary's badge, only in the shape of a hexagon. Without a sound, he held out the badge, offering it to his rival.  
  
"W-what are you doing?" Gary stammered, more confused than afraid now.  
  
"Take it."  
  
Gary looked over to President Goodshow, who merely shrugged. Hesitantly, Gary reached for the badge, acting as if it would burn him the moment he touched it. Of course, that didn't happen; Gary's hand closed around the badge, lifting it from Ash's hand. Ash could have sworn he felt a piece of himself leaving with the badge, but swallowed the feeling as well as his anger.  
  
"I'll be back for that next year, Oak." He pivoted on his heel and stalked off the stage before another word could be said. As Ash left the stadium, he could hear Goodshow starting another droning speech on the wonders of being an Indigo trainer, and how Gary was the pinnacle of any trainer here tonight. He didn't dare look back; that would only confirm that this wasn't his worst nightmare, and would send him screaming back for his badge. It was unfortunate he didn't turn around; he might have seen Bruno picking his dropped diskette out of the soft soil of the arena, examining it with confusion and curiosity.  
* * *  
  
The Velocity Burger was all but closed now; most of the trainers and spectators had left the Indigo compound, returning to their normal lives until the next Games began. Gary, the new Champion, had already left aboard the League's private jet with the Elite Four on a victory celebration to Paris, France. "Never took me to see Paris..." Ash muttered, nursing the drink he had poured himself.  
  
"What was that, Mr. K?" Speedy inquired, scrubbing away at a mug with his old dishrag. He didn't seem to mind that a single trainer kept him from closing the restaurant; Ash was one of his best customers, even if he didn't pay for a thing. "Something wrong with the root beer?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, no. It was nothing, Speedy." Ash assured him unconvincingly, taking a long swig of the soda as proof. He stared into the drink, watching as the bubbles rose to the top, only to explode and cease to be. The metaphor wasn't lost on him. Over and over, he told himself, 'It was just a badge. You have plenty of badges: Indigo, Orange, Johto...one badge won't make a difference.' Not surprising, it didn't dull the sting of failure one iota.  
Ash could hear the diner's door opening behind him, accompanied by the sounds of shuffling feet. Ash didn't bother to turn around; he knew who was there.  
  
"Hey, Ash?" Brock inquired softly. Ash swiveled in his chair, gasping at the sight; Brock, Misty, Richie, and his mother were standing in the entryway to the Velocity Burger, looking uncomfortably at Ash. What really got to Ash was Pikachu, who was cradled in Brock's arms.  
  
"Pikaaaaa." Pikachu cooed weakly, blinking large eyes at Ash. The trainer practically leapt out of his stool, rushing over and whisking the thunderous Pokémon out of Brock's large arms. "Cha."  
  
"Oh, Pikachu..." Ash cried softly, hugging the mouse to his chest. "I'm so sorry...I-"  
  
"Chu."  
  
"But...but it was my fault. How can I ever make it up to-"  
  
"Chu." Pikachu looked up at him with teary eyes, telling Ash what he needed to hear.  
  
Ash sighed, lifting the Pokémon up and onto his shoulder. "You're right, Pikachu. It's time to move on."  
  
"Already?" his mother was surprised. She had hoped that Ash would rest up after the entire ordeal, maybe take a few weeks off to spend at home. Brock and Misty had harbored similar ideas, and voiced their concerns, but Ash seemed resolute. He pulled out his Pokédex, activating it with a quick flip of his thumb.  
  
"It might be fun to run around the island again," Brock observed optimistically, "Just like the old days."  
  
Ash shook his head. "I've been looking at the past few months...take a look." Dexter began to project a flickering holographic map into the air, showing Pokémon Island and the surrounding chain of isles from a sub-orbital view. Several flashing red markers dotted the map, pinpointing every place the trainers had visited in the last three-quarters of a year. "Not one of the gyms I've beaten in the past year have been more than a hundred miles from the Island. I've been too close to home as it is." He clenched a fist with determination, "People, we're going to America."  
  
A collection of gasps rose from the group, even Speedy. "A-America?" Richie stammered, hardly able to believe what he had heard. "You'll never come out alive!"  
  
"Ash, Americans are horrible to foreigners! They have an entire government department set up for harassing people from different countries!" Misty wailed, knowing very well that wherever Ash went, she would go, too.  
  
Brock nodded vigorously in agreement, his voice quaking. "It's true. My mother used to tell me awful stories about the place when she lived there, before she moved to the Island with my father. They make you carry around thousands of awful cards, and people hurl garbage at you in the streets."  
  
Ash blinked exactly three times, looking at them as if they had sprouted wings and called themselves Dragonites. "I'm sorry, but exactly when did you guys go completely insane? Brock: Misty: We were in Hollywood for that bogus movie premiere, don't you remember? Nothing bad happened...sort of."  
  
"Yes, dear, but that was Hollywood..." Mrs. Ketchum informed him wisely. "Nothing bad ever happens in the Land of Dreams."  
  
"My mind's made up."  
  
Brock suddenly thought of something. "Wa-a-a-it a minute," he drawled, waggling a finger at his friend. "You aren't League Champion any more."  
  
"I'm not?" Ash feigned surprise with as much sarcasm as he could possibly fit into one sentence. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"  
  
"You couldn't possibly afford a trip to America, much less an extended journey..." Brock chose to ignore his friend's cynicism for the moment, promising to have Misty pound the living daylights out of him later. "How on Earth do you plan on..." he saw his friend's face drop in shame, turning several shades of crimson. "Oh God, you didn't-"  
  
"Well, not all of it. I managed to get Silph Co. to sponsor a good portion of the trip...oh, by the way," Ash pulled several jackets out from behind the counter, tossing two of them to Brock and Misty. "We'll be wearing these for a while." Holding up his own jacket, he revealed the black and red coat to have a large Silph Co. logo embroidered on the back. "But for the rest..." He looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, guys, I didn't have much choice."  
  
"What's he talking about?" Richie was more confused than ever, as was Ash's mother. "I don't get it."  
  
Misty blew out a breath of frustration, sliding her new 'favorite' jacket over her slim shoulders. "Rupert Murdock has been after Ash's life story ever since he became Champ..."  
  
Ash picked up Dexter again, this time instructing; "Dexter, holo-television. Tune it in to Channel Twelve." Dexter complied, catching the end of a Meowth litter commercial. As the next commercial began, understanding dawned on Richie, as well as Ash's mom. They stood there, riveted to the wavering image hanging in the air.  
  
"Coming this fall, on FOX!" the announcer belted out in a coarse voice, "The most exciting thing on television." A large, burly actor wearing a short-sleeved jacket, blue jeans and a pristine white and red league cap dominated the screen. Some sort of low quality computer-animated Pikachu stood atop the muscle man's shoulder...at least, it *looked* like a Pikachu. "The story that's *never* been told before!"  
  
"Got to catch them all." the actor said with badly garbled English in a distinctly Austrian accent. He held up his fingers in a disgustingly familiar 'V' pattern.  
  
"Pika..." Pikachu was hardly impressed with its television counterpart.  
  
"Watch as the ten-year-old prodigy Ash Ketchum faces insurmountable odds across hostile terrain." The image flashed, now showing the man and his fake Pikachu battling a flock of Pidgeys over the remains of a blown-up motorbike. "Watch," the announcer commanded, "As he meets lifelong friends:"  
  
"Hi there..." a voluptuous, beautiful model wearing a terribly cheap red wig had somehow been stuffed into a yellow tube-top and impossibly tight cutoff jeans. She stood in front of "Ash", running a finger coyly along the contours of his steroid-enhanced chest. "You broke my bike, you 'bad' boy. I'll have to follow you wherever you go until you find some way to *make it up to me*..."  
  
"That terrain doesn't look so hostile to me..." Brock's voice wavered as his eyes glazed over. This earned him a sharp jab from Misty's elbow.  
  
The screen switched yet again. If at all possible, they had found someone even larger than the man playing Ash to put on-screen this time. He wore a thin, black tank top and khakis, and a large, brown, shrublike wig had been glued crooked on his head. "Yo, Ash." he rumbled as he walked alongside "Ash",   
  
"Thanks for letting me come along on your fantastic adventures."  
  
"Not problem..." the Austrian gargled back.  
  
"This fall...only on FOX!"   
  
Dexter shut off the transmission, emitting several gagging noises for effect. "I may wretch my databanks..." Misty silently seethed, none-too-happy as to how her character had been portrayed. Though he didn't know it (and never would, in all honesty), Rupert Murdock had just made Misty's list of revenge. As she plotted ways of torturing the network executive, Ash resumed his plans.  
  
"I figure with some intense training with some of the top competitors in the world over there, I'll be more than ready when the League Games come around again." Ash snapped Dexter shut, putting him in his new jacket. He took the old one off, hesitating for a moment as a small glint caught his eye; his original badges, gleaming at him from inside his trusted Indigo garb. With a few quick motions, he pulled only one pair of the metallic pins out of the jacket; the Boulderbadge and Cascadebadge. "Here, mom, can you keep this for me?" He tossed his jacket over to his mother, who nodded. Tears of pride were dripping down her cheeks as she beamed with joy over Ash's sudden transformation.  
  
"Hey Ash..." Richie started uncomfortably, "Uh...you think you could use another man on the team?"  
  
Ash reached behind the counter once more, tossing Richie the fourth of the Silph Co. jackets. "I thought you'd never ask." For a moment, the room was silent. No one knew what to say. Then, without warning, Misty spoke up.  
  
"Okay Speedy, I think he's ready. Time for Plan B."  
  
Speedy nodded as he gave her a knowing smile, reaching down into the cupboards far below. Gently, carefully, he stood back up with a large, delicately decorated golden brown/yellow cake with sixteen burning candles supported in his large, lumpy hands. "It's your favorite, Mr. K...Peanut butter and banana."  
  
"Speedy?"  
  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone cried out at once, crowding around the trainer and giving him several hugs and slaps on the back, as well as some congratulatory shocks from Pikachu. Ash was caught unawares, but not totally surprised; after all, they needed as much a reason to celebrate as Ash did, and a birthday was a good enough excuse as any. The real surprise came when Misty leaned over, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
"Now blow out your candles," she whispered, redness already seeping into her blushing cheeks, "Before I shove that over-inflated head of your into the cake." He gave them his biggest grin, then turned to the cake. Taking a big breath, he prepared to blow the candles out-  
* * *  
  
And found himself standing on a vast, empty plane of white fog, extending onward in every direction seemingly without end.  
  
"Huh?" Ash's eyes went wide with just a touch of fear and even greater surprise than before as he looked around wildly, trying to figure out what had just happened. One moment he was about to eat his favorite cake with all his friends and the next...  
  
"Hello, Disciple."  
  
"Oh no..." Turning, Ash saw the face of a woman he had hoped to never see again; she hadn't appeared to him for several months now, and he had thought her to be gone forever. That was not the case, it seemed. Sure enough, the familiar (beautiful) woman stood before him, raven hair and translucent gown billowing in an unseen, unfelt wind. "What now?"  
  
"Ash?"  
  
Ash could hardly believe his ears. Turning once more, he saw, to his amazement, another person here. But how could that be? There had never been any other people in his visions before...  
  
"Richie?" Richie was standing right beside him, looking as lost and confused as Ash was right now. Like Ash, he was without any of his Pokémon, trapped without ally in the swirling fog.  
  
"Oh man, Ash...not you, too!"  
  
End  
  
Quiet Hindsight  
You know what? I have absolutely no idea if people read my stories or not. I seriously don't. Now I'm going to ask a favor to each and every one of you; after you read this story, just go back and up to my mail link, and write a very, *very* short e-mail. Even if it just says "Hey, my name is Gotta Lotta Tyme, I read your story..." It would make me the happiest Internet Ghost on the web. Keep reading, and stay tuned for the Season Finale of Pokémon: BadgeQuest.  
  
Next- BadgeQuest #10  
Destiny's Gambit  



	10. Destiny's Gambit

=Author's Note=  
Well, somehow it's happened. I've made it to my tenth fanfiction. Who'd have thought, huh? I'd like to take the time to thank some of the people who make BadgeQuest possible...let's start with me :). Okay, okay, moving right along; my sister, Sabermew64, my newest friend and critic Quokka, and of course, The Jolt Master. Without Jolt, the precious space my stories take up would doubtless be filled by a better author. Kudos, Jolt, and kudos to all of you who read my fiction. You're the real heroes...believe me, I've read some of my own stuff. I know.  
  
=Legal Disclaimer=  
Do I own Pokémon? Let's take a look around, shall we? I'm poor, shabbily dressed and living in a manner that would make college frat rats cringe with disgust. I think the question to ask is "Does he own 'anything' at all?"  
  
BadgeQuest #10  
Destiny's Gambit  
  
An endless white field, stretching onward for an eternity in every direction, obscured with a misty white haze; it was a scene Ash was quickly becoming familiar with. Thrice now, Ash had been whisked away to the cool bright floors of the Goddess's realm...but this time was slightly different. This time, he had company.  
  
"Oh man, Ash...not you, too!" Richie groaned loudly at the sight of his friend and fellow trainer. Like Ash, he was robbed of his Pokémon, at least for the duration of their stay. Almost in unison, Ash and Richie looked to their hostess; a pale, beautiful, raven-haired woman who seemed to float above the ground in her translucent cream gown.  
  
"Greetings, young ones." she intoned in a soft, musical voice. She glided forward effortlessly, coming to rest in front of the two bedazzled trainers. "There is much work to be done."  
  
Ash smirked, pointing at the woman and addressing her in an almost arrogant manner. "Oh no you don't; no more of this mysterious crap. You've had me at a disadvantage before, but I have your number now." He beamed, as if making a miraculous revelation. "You're the Pokégoddess, aren't you?"  
  
Richie blinked, looking to Ash as if he were the largest idiot in the universe. "Of course she is, Ash. You didn't know that before?"  
  
"Um...yeah, of course I did." Ash scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I was just making sure you knew."  
  
The Goddess, in the meantime, had suffered Ash's outburst with good humor. She smiled, continuing in a low tone, "There is much to be done." The air shimmered at the merest wave of her hand, transmuting into a crystal-clear image; a dark mountain range, surrounded on either side by deep green forest. "You must journey to the Mountain of the Moon. There, all will become clear."  
  
"Mount Moon?" Richie mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I guess I could swing that."  
  
Ash, on the other hand, wasn't as accepting. "What do you mean, 'all will become clear'? I want answers now, not after some stupid seven-hour bus ride!" But it was too late; the Goddess had turned her back and was already walking off. The mists seemed to wrap themselves around her slender form, swallowing her into nothingness...  
* * *  
  
"Ash? Ash, honey, are you all right?"  
  
Mrs. Ketchum placed a slender, soft hand on her son's shoulder, shaking him gently; he had simply spaced out of reality, staring off into nothing with a stillness that was uncharacteristic of the energetic youth. He came back to reality without warning, shaking off his minor excursion into dreamland like a bad headache. Ash's mother was a bit distressed to see Richie doing the same.  
  
"Hey Ash," Misty, the fiery redheaded Mistress of Water, tugged on Ash's arm in an attempt to get his attention. "Don't you want to eat that cake of yours? Speedy put a lot of effort into it."  
  
Speedy, the restaurant's corpulent owner/manager/chef, nodded in agreement, holding out a plateful of moist, golden spongecake. "It ain't just *any* chef that can fuse banana and peanut butter flavor, y'know."  
  
Ash ignored them, grunting with frustration and pushing the cake away as he started to stand. Halfway out of his chair, he changed his mind; Ash grabbed the half of his piece of the cake straight off of the plate and stuffed it into his mouth. The rest of the group grimaced in disgust as he chewed noisily, slipping his new Silph Co. jacket over his athletically muscular shoulders. "Mer moing mo Mount Moon, meople." he sputtered around a mouth full of cake. Pikachu, who had been sitting on the counter, chose to attack what was left of Ash's piece. Speedy set the plate down, afraid that the tiny mouse was going to take his arm off. Pikachu took one bite of the cake, promptly spitting it out. The electric rodent rubbed its tongue in a futile attempt to get the flavor out of its mouth, squirming and whining.  
  
"Mount Moon?" Brock was thoroughly confused. "We haven't gone back to that place in years...not since we passed by there on our way to Cerulean City." He scratched his head. "Why on Earth would we need to go there?"  
  
"We just do." Richie had uttered this, which surprised the rest of them; he was always in high spirits, win or lose, good times or bad. To see the boy act in such a serious manner drew a feeling of worry for them all, except for Ash. "Pack your bags, guys. Mount Moon will have to come first."  
  
There was silence for a moment, until Misty broke it; "Eh," she waved his grim mannerism off, "America will probably still be there in a few days..." A mischievous look danced in her eye. "Though it probably won't be once Ash is done with it."  
  
A weathered voice interrupted the group's discussion of their newest destination, calling their attention towards the Velocity Burger's front entrance. Professor Oak stood in the doorway, wearing his ever-present, enigmatic smile. "Mount Moon, did you say? It sounds mysterious."  
  
"Professor!" Ash exclaimed, the cake slamming down his throat.  
  
Oak took a few steps in, closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry to intrude, but the door was open, and..." he trailed off, spying the birthday cake on the counter. "Oh my, is that cake?" He walked over to the dessert, dipping his finger in the frosting and popping the tidbit into his mouth. He was immediately sorry he did so; his face contorted with disgust.  
  
"Uh, Professor...we didn't expect to see you so soon after the ceremonies." Brock offered, trying to hide his amusement at the researcher's reaction to Ash's cake. "Why aren't you celebrating with your grandson?"  
  
"Oh, Gary has enough people basking in his glory for the moment. I've already paid my respects to our new League Champion." He flashed Ash a wink. "I wanted to congratulate young Mr. Ketchum on his excellent performance yesterday, as well as his sportsmanship a few hours ago."  
  
Ash was truly shocked at this; Professor Oak had normally stayed neutral in his rivalry with Gary, not taking one side or the other. Now it seemed as if he had finally gotten the old man's support in something, which was a pleasant, if unexpected, surprise.  
  
"Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me with a few things, Ash." Oak admitted to his ulterior motives, drawing a small device out of his jacket. "I have here a new device, one of great potential...however, it needs to be field-tested." He handed it to Ash, who took it tentatively.  
  
"What is it?" the boy asked, partially smothered as everyone else gathered around to catch a glimpse of the object. It was a small screen with several control surfaces affixed below and to the side, mounted on a metal wristband.  
  
"It's a second-generation communication device, meant to replace your Pokédex's substandard comm functions."  
  
"Hey!" Dexter's voice, though muffled by Ash's jacket, was nonetheless indignant and loud. Oak, however, didn't pay him mind.  
  
"I call it a 'Pokégear'." Oak beamed proudly at his device. "It has one other feature you might find interesting; a Remote Transport System uplink. You'll be able to transport Pokémon anywhere, not just at a Pokécenter."   
  
Ash scratched his head, turning the small device upside-down and rightside-wrong as he looked it over. "Cool. How do you turn it on?" As if on cue, the device flared to life, beeping and glowing with a soft blue aura.  
  
"Greetings. I am Gear, a Pokégear created by Professor Oak for Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Please select function: Radio Receiver; Tele-Communications; Remote Transporter System." The voice was completely different from Dexter's; soft and feminine, with a pleasant ring. It was a nice contrast from the Pokédex's sharp, mechanical drawl. Even Dexter quieted at Gear's polite, friendly voice.  
  
"Co-ol!" Ash said again, this time more enthused. He slid the Pokégear onto his wrist, snapping the metallic clasp into place. "The perfect gift for the trainer on the go." he grinned, hefting his wrist experimentally.  
  
"Speaking of going, we'd better jam out." Richie brought Ash's derailed mind back on track, motioning towards the door. "We've got a holy mission to perform."  
  
"Right." Ash stood, grabbing Pikachu up off of the counter and stalking off towards the door. He was stopped, however, when Brock and Misty each laid a firm hand on either one of his shoulders, stopping him in his tracks.  
  
"Hold it right there, buster." Misty prompted threateningly.  
  
"*What* holy mission?" Brock interrogated him.  
  
Ash merely sighed, motioning them to follow. 'They aren't going to believe this...' he thought.  
* * *  
  
"I don't believe it."  
  
Brock had beat Misty to saying it, but only because she was currently tangled in a sharp thorn bush, trying to wriggle free. Her bulky new Silph jacket wasn't helping. Sighing heavily, she got managed to squeeze through without tearing the fabric of her new apparel...her skin was another matter.  
  
"Gee, why am I not surprised?" Ash spat sarcastically as he stopped to rest on a mossy boulder half-buried in the shadow of Mt. Moon. He lowered himself onto the gray rock with a groan as pain lanced through his aching muscles. His Pika-partner did likewise, scrambling up the damp, slick side of the rock and leaning up against Ash as it fanned its burning, throbbing feet. "What is it with you guys and not believing me?"  
  
Misty grunted, hauling herself back up to her feet. "You aren't going to let that go, are you?"  
  
"Not in this millennium."  
  
She snorted loudly, rolling her eyes with exasperation. "Okay, let's see; someone with a wild imagination tells me that he's the chosen messenger of an ancient deity sent here to stop ultimate evil from destroying our world." She brought her hands to her cheeks with mocking embarrassment. "Gosh-oh-golly-gee, Ash. I'm sorry, I'll never doubt you again."  
  
Ash blinked, giving Misty a funny look. "You know, you can be downright heartless when you try."  
  
"Not only that," Richie intoned, pulling himself out of the bushes after Misty, "but she's wrong, too." He brushed the leaves off of his heavy teal cap, placing it back on his head at a rakish tilt.  
  
Brock squinted at the two 'chosen ones', still unconvinced. "Look, just because you guys had weird, albeit similar, dreams, that doesn't mean you have to stop some ancient evil." He pulled out his canteen, taking several good drags of mountain water. "I mean, everyone has nightmares; Ash, don't you remember that time you dreamt that the one Kabutops was coming to kill you? It was right after we saw that slasher flick. You couldn't sleep for weeks..."  
  
Misty's jaw dropped in surprise. "*That's* what it was? You told me you just had insomnia!" She began to laugh long and hard as Ash stood there with a humiliated look plastered on his face. Misty had to clutch her sides for fear of a rib splitting from her own raucous laughter. Pikachu chided Misty for her heartless ridicule, but inside the mouse was just as amused as she was. Ash could easily tell that his Pikachu found it equally amusing; the small, toothy smile was impossible to miss.  
  
"Gee, thanks for bringing that up, Brock..." Ash grumbled, casting a malicious glare first at his loose-lipped friend, then at the hysterical Mistress of Water. He looked up towards the peak of Mount Moon, trying to sort through everything that was happening to him...and now to Richie. After a moment (in which Misty's laughter found time to die down), he looked off towards the east, along a densely foliated section of the forest leading up to the base of the mountain. "I'm not sure, but I think we go that way." Catching a nod from Richie, he managed to get everyone back on foot, herding them towards the intended direction with a minimum of grumbling.  
  
"Hey Ash, look out! It's 'Kabutopper', and he's coming to get you!" Misty mimicked the claws of a Kabutops with her fingers, giggling at Ash's expense.  
  
"Very funny." he gave her a not-too-gentle shove ahead, rolling his eyes.  
* * *  
  
"Ow!" Jessie squealed, clutching the newest of the gashes on her arm. She snarled at the small thorns of the bush that currently had her entrapped, wishing desperately to be anywhere but that awful leafy prison. Shrieking out several questionable curses that won't be repeated in a PG fanfiction, she hauled herself at last out of the tunnel of thorns. "Why did those twerps have to come back to this God-forsaken mountain anyway? Didn't they do enough when they saved those blasted Clefairy?"  
  
James struggled through after Jessie, grunting and groaning. If possible, his uniform was shredded even worse than Jessie's. He whimpered, clutching the remains of his treasured Rocket jacket close to his chest before tossing the rag aside. "I don't know. Maybe the boy dropped something six years ago, and he's only coming back for it now."  
  
Meowth emerged from the hedges almost untouched, swiping aside the sharp bushes with his even sharper claws. He looked left and right, trying to spot their targets. "Where'd dey go, anyway?"  
  
"You mean you haven't been following them?" Jessie's voice betrayed disbelief.  
  
Meowth became upset. "Me? I was followin' James!"  
  
"Me? I was following Jessie!"  
  
Jessie put a hand to her breast. "Well, don't look at me. I was following Meowth."   
  
Together as one, they looked off to their left. Half-hidden among the bushes and trees was a large patchwork hot-air balloon, resembling the gruesome, disembodied head of a less than fortunate Meowth. Jessie and James, of course, took the news as well as they always did.  
  
"YOU MISERABLE, WORTHLESS LITTLE FLEABAG! I SHOULD MAKE A HANDBAG OUT OF YOU!" Jessie shrieked, pounding the poor cat's head into his stomach with blinded rage.  
  
"DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO FOLLOW JESSIE? SHE'S TERRIBLE WITH DIRECTIONS!" James punted whatever remained of the cat like a white-brown football, driving Meowth into a particularly large and painfully solid tree.  
  
Jessie's anger immediately re-focused on James. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, TERRIBLE? I'M THE REASON WE EVER FIND ANYTHING, MORON!" She backhanded him, sending him spinning to the ground. Most of her (temporary) rage spent, she crossed her arms and huffed in frustration. "Well, we'll just have to start tracking the twerps all over again. And this time," she drew in a large breath of air, "WE'RE GONNA DO IT RIGHT, AREN'T WE?" James nodded, nursing a black eye. Meowth pulled himself across the ground, his face resembling a car wreck.  
  
"Good." Jessie smiled sweetly, patting them both on the tops of their heads. "Now stop lollygaging, you sillies. We have our work cut out for us."  
* * *  
  
"Man, we really have our work cut out for us..." Brock leaned back, trying to see the top of the dark, damp mountain. The only reward for his efforts was a small crick in his back; the peak of Mount Moon was, is, and always will be perpetually masked in a halo of mysterious mist. Leaning forward with a groan, he looked to the two "chosen ones" with confusion. "I don't get it...why bring us here? There's nothing here but rock, moss, and the occasional unpleasant possibility for rock slides."  
  
Ash ignored him for the most part, frowning as he took in their surroundings with an equal amount of annoyance. "Look, will you just quit whining? I don't know 'why' we're here. I just know that 'here' is 'where' we need to be." Pikachu, though not worried, was hardly convinced. The foot-tall mouse had been there for those Kabutopper nightmares (though it hadn't know what all the fuss was about at the time); Pikachu knew how vivid Ash's dreams could be. It looked up at its trainer, tipping its head in question.   
  
Richie nodded. "If I know my deities-and I think after watching "Machampulese: the Series," I do- things will start getting clear any moment now." He leaned up against a blue-black rock outcropping with a relaxed pose, confident that things would work themselves out. As if on cue, the bushes next to Richie, which had been obscuring the regular path, began to rustle and part. Ash, Misty, and Brock instinctively brought out their Pokéballs, attempting to be ready for anything. Pikachu took a battle stance, sparks and tiny rivulets of energy spiking from its electric sacs. Richie, on the other hand, waited to see what would unfold.  
  
To everyone's surprise, it wasn't an attacker, nor was it a Pokémon.  
  
"I think I'm in love..." Brock's squinted eyes glazed over as he immediately went into "Joy Shock."  
  
A young, stunningly gorgeous girl emerged from the leafy barrier, struggling to keep her stylish mini-skirt, designer tennis shoes, and hooded sweatshirt from getting tangled among the sharp twigs. Her raven hair, drawn behind her in a ponytail that swished down at the small of her back, managed to escape the majority of the tangles and snares. Despite the obvious lack of people for miles around, she had taken the time to apply a variety of soft, subtle make-up to her face, pinnacled by the crimson hue of her full, pouting lips. Misty sneered in disgust. She had worn what she always worn; a pair of cutoff jeans, a ragged, half-destroyed T-shirt, a pair of old combat boots and her new Silph jacket. The thought of someone dressing up to go hiking was enough to make her wretch. What was worse, though, was the way Ash was staring at her.  
  
The beautiful wood nymph glanced up at her audience, tilting her head to the side. "What in blazes are you people doing here, sitting out in the middle of nowhere?" she asked in a demanding but melodious voice. Hands on hips, her gaze traveled around the various faces in front of her, finally coming to rest squarely in Ash's amber eyes.  
  
"Um..." Richie was the first to speak, completely awestruck by the vision of perfection standing in front of him. "Um...um...um...Hi." he got out at last, tongue-tied. Red blush began to creep up his neck and pool in his cheeks as he appraised the newcomer appreciatively.  
  
"Eyes to yourself, short-stack." she admonished Richie off-handedly, as if she was used to it. She quickly brought her attention back to Ash, giving him an appraising eye of her own. "Hmmf. Well, whatever you're doing out here, scram. I've got business here."  
  
Ash wracked his mind, trying to figure out who she was; she seemed 'so' familiar. "Just who do you think you are?" he demanded with fire lighting in his eyes. Pikachu mimicked its trainer, shaking a tiny clawed fist at the interloper, still sparking at its red cheeks.  
  
"Pika PIKA!"  
  
The girl sneered, waving a hand at Pikachu. "People call me a star..."  
  
"Oh God..." Misty murmured, her suspicions (and fears) were confirmed.  
  
"But I'm just Giselle." With a wink and a flip of her long, luxurious hair, she blew a kiss at Ash. The cute antics, however, were short lived; "And you're a couple of jerks who are in my way. Now scram!"  
  
"Listen Gazette-" Ash started angrily.  
  
"GISELLE!"  
  
"-Giselle, you don't have the right to-"  
  
Before Ash could finish yelling, Brock stepped in and shoved his younger friend aside. He took Giselle's hands in an obsequious manner, his eyes still glazed over and cheeks still apple red. "Please ignore my rude friend, young, pretty lady. We'll be more than happy to move to a different spot." Brock stopped, waiting for some sort of reply. He was a bit surprised to find that she wasn't melting into his arms, and even more surprised that she hadn't slapped him yet, either. "Uh, hello?" Giselle's eyes had become glazed over, much as Brock's were. She was hardly love-struck, however.  
  
"She's just staring off into space..." Misty exchanged a questioning glance with Pikachu, whom could only scratch its head between its yellow, pointed ears.  
  
"Pika. Pikacha-choo-kacha?" It walked up slowly, poking Giselle in the leg; nothing, not even a twitch.  
  
"That's bizarre..." Misty was more than a little confused now. Why would an airheaded, obnoxious, loudmouthed prick like Giselle suddenly go comatose? "Ash, what in the world is going-" she turned, crying out in horror. "Brock!"  
  
Brock turned around, leaving Giselle's hands frozen once released from his grasp. "Misty, what is it?" He soon found out; Ash, as well as Richie, was frozen like statues as well. Their eyes were dull and lifeless, dead to the world around them. "Ash!"  
* * *  
  
White: the color, or lack thereof, was quickly becoming Ash's least favorite sight. This was unfortunate, as he and Richie were once again in the realm of white mists, totally alone except for each other. Ash groaned, cradling his face in his hands.  
  
"Not this again..." he grimaced.  
  
Richie, however, was more excited than fearful. He eagerly looked around for the Goddess, wondering what she was going to tell them next. "Oh, c'mon Ash. What did you expect to find when you go out on a little adventure that the Pokégoddess sent you on?" Try as he might, he couldn't seem to find the tall, beautiful deity anywhere.  
  
"I'm just getting the feeling that it's going to turn into more than just a "little adventure." Way more..."  
  
"You would be correct, young Disciple." The soft, familiar, reverberating voice startled them from behind. They whirled around to face the Goddess, but were once again caught off guard when they found another already in the company of their godly benefactor.  
  
"Giselle?" They harmonized, Ash's voice laced with shock and Richie's with subtle delight. Standing at the Goddess's side was the illustrious PokéTech graduate, arms folded across her rounded chest and lower lip jutted out defiantly.  
  
"What the heck are you two clowns doing here?" she demanded once more, just as surprised as they were.  
  
"We were about to ask you the same question." Ash glared back at her. His gaze shifted over to the Goddess's face, which looked down upon her collection of 'guests' with calm serenity. "Okay, Poké-Goddess, no more games. We want some answers, and we want them now! Right, Richie?" he tossed his friend a glance; Richie, however, only had eyes for Giselle, which was making the feminine trainer more than a little annoyed. "Well, *I* want some answers!" Ash demanded, frustrated beyond recognition.  
  
The Goddess didn't seem fazed by Ash's anger. "Calmness, young one. You will have your answers." This seemed to get all of their attention; they gathered around her as if small schoolchildren, waiting quietly for a story. "I have brought you here so that your world may have a chance for life."  
  
"Ah-HAH!" Ash cried triumphantly, springing into the air. "I knew it, I just knew it!" He crossed his arms, shaking his head so hard it was a miracle that it didn't unhinge at the neck. "Forget it, lady; I've saved this planet more than once already."  
  
"Ash, will you just shut up and let the lady finish?" Richie shot up at his friend, thoroughly annoyed. Reaching up, he snagged Ash's jacket and dragged the boy down to the cold, slightly damp ground.  
  
Without missing a beat, the Goddess started again. "Two thousand years ago, the isle of my children was ruled by a race that your people refer to as the 'Pokémopolitans.' They ruled their realm with a fist of iron. Their warriors, armed with fierce Pokémon, dominated all that they sought."  
  
"Bo-ring!" Giselle called out. She received shushing from Ash and Richie, which she responded to with a well-timed raspberry.  
  
The Pokégoddess somehow remained calm under the agonizing interruptions. "However, the Pokémopolitans believed themselves greater than the Gods. They sought to recreate the gift given to them from on high." Her pleasant demeanor took on an uncharacteristic frown, if only for a moment. "They bred their own children...some cherished...and some dark." The frown disappeared, replaced with her neutral radiance.   
  
After a dramatic pause, she continued; "Their creations, however, soon got the better of them. In a great battle, the Pokémopolitans were forced to destroy all the children of Shadow, save for six that could not be vanquished. A young warrior named Ma'kala defeated the Dark One, and his children of evil. In doing so, he lost his sight. The children were separated, spread to the Four Corners of the globe in an attempt to dilute their power. The Dark One, however, was locked away forever, confined in a black prison."  
  
Ash scratched his head, thoroughly confused. "So what does that have to do with us?"  
  
"Once unable to see, Ma'kala gained the ability of foresight. From his visions came the Foretelling of Ma'kala. They spoke of a child, one who would vanquish the Dark One on his eve of destruction." Her gaze wafted across the three teens, meeting each of their eyes with her own piercing, haunting glance.  
  
Ash waited in silence for exactly two seconds, then exploded with curiosity.   
  
"Well?"  
  
The Goddess hesitated. "I am unsure as to which of you is the foretold champion." They groaned in unison, cradling their faces or snorting with disgust. "You have all passed the first test; each of you possesses a Legend of the Elements."  
  
"Wait a minute..." Richie mused thoughtfully. "I have Moltres. Ash, you have Articuno..." Ash nodded an affirmative, then joined in with Richie as the trainer shifted his attention to Giselle. "So that leaves..."  
  
"Zapdos." Giselle beamed arrogantly, snapping her fingers. "My powerhouse makes that Pikachu of yours look like a nine-volt battery, Ketchum. You'd better put your toys away and leave the evil fighting to the *real* heavy-hitters."  
  
"Pikachu could mop the floor with whatever you've got, you little-" but he was cut off when the Pokégoddess intervened. With her commanding presence, it took a mere wave of her hand to recapture their attention and bring them back to the focus of their being in her realm; namely, the life or death of the planet itself.  
  
"Peace, young ones. A simple task will decide the future." she assured them, her voice never wavering, never changing pitch.  
  
"Task? You mean, like, a test?" Giselle asked, her interest peaked. If there was one thing she enjoyed, it was testing her abilities...especially when it meant outshining a pair of outclassed outcasts. "I'm great with tests!"  
  
"This is no mere test, young one. It is a mission, one that holds much danger."  
  
Richie stepped forward, his fist clenched with determination. He held his chin high as he proclaimed, "Whatever it is, Goddess, I know we can handle it." Giselle voiced her agreement. Only Ash remained silent, pondering the situation.  
  
"Very well." the Pokégoddess folded her hands as if praying, her gaze falling to the ground below. Her voice became low and soft, as if possessed by a demon. "In the Mountain of the Moon rests one of the five Cages, built by the Pokémopolitans to keep the Children of Darkness at bay. Unfortunately, the Child kept in the Caverns of Moon has been released. You each have caught a Legend of the Elements; you are ready. Find the Child, and vanquish him."  
  
"How will we find him?" Richie inquired.  
Her eyes never left the ground. "Follow your hearts, always. Good luck, young ones." In an instant, her form began to take on a blanketed haze of fog. It swirled around her, swallowing the beautiful, willowy woman into the misty backdrop.  
  
"Wait, Goddess!" Richie stepped forward-  
* * *  
  
"Don't go yet!" Richie blinked, suddenly attacked by an odd chill. He shivered, hugging himself in an attempt to warm up. "Wah? Huh? Where am I?"  
  
"Richie? Are you okay?" Misty put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to cringe in surprise. She immediately withdrew the hand, her voice filled with concern. "Richie, it's me. We're in the forest, remember?"   
  
Looking around, he found that she was absolutely right; trees, rocks, trees, filthy mud, and more trees surrounded the quintet on three sides, the ominous mountain comprising the fourth. "Yeah...sorry. How long was I out?"  
  
Before she could answer, Ash spoke up from his place only a few feet away, sitting atop the boulder just as he had before their vision had started. "About thirty seconds..." He shook his head, trying to get the fuzz out of his brain. "Seems like a lifetime ago. Hope I don't have to get used to that..."  
  
"You won't have to, Dork." Giselle sneered, having also come around at the same moment Ash and Richie had. She caught Brock leering at her, and waved the burly Rock Master off with a snort. "Cut the drool act, Squinty. I've got monster hunting to do, and I don't need a cheering section." She began to walk off, but was stopped by Misty.  
  
"Listen, you...you..." the Mistress of Water had to take a deep breath, choking down several more specific, if somewhat unflattering, commentary. "Listen," she started again, "No one's going anywhere. There's about an hour of daylight left. We need to head back, find a Pokémon Center before it gets dark."  
  
Giselle rolled her eyes, casting a glare at Ash and his Pikachu. "Is your girlfriend here *always* afraid of the dark?" Lucky for Giselle, Brock's reflexes were like a Persian's; he leapt forward and put Misty in a Full Nelson a mere instant before the fiery redhead could rend the obnoxious PokéTech graduate limb from sensuous limb. Even with his large, rocky build, he struggled to hold Misty back. Giselle, though, didn't seem to notice Misty's blinding rage. "Come one, we go this way." She started off in a westward direction.  
  
"Wait!" Ash called out, his arm outstretched. "How do you know that you're going in the right direction?"  
Giselle turned, a look of confusion passing briefly over her features. "I just...feel it. Don't you?"  
  
Surprisingly enough, he did. A quick glance over to Richie told him that his friend felt it too. "All right, let's go. But stay together; we don't want to lose anyone in these mountains."  
  
"Whatever." She started off again, not looking back, "Don't get any ideas in your head, *Champ*. Just because the Goddess is in your head too doesn't make us partners...or friends."  
* * *  
  
James heaved a large sigh, leaning up against a dark, twisted oak as he panted with fatigue. Forest, forest, and more blasted forest; that was all he had seen for the past three hours, and it seemed very likely that it was all he was going to see for the rest of his life. Why couldn't Jessie ever give up?  
  
"Stop huffing, you mollusk, you're taking all the good air." Jessie grumbled, leaning her back against the same tree.  
  
Of course Jessie could never give up. She was just too stubborn; you'd sooner see Jessie performing a striptease for a collection of angry nuns than to give up the hunt. Still, it was nice to see her slowing down a bit. It served as a reminder to James that Jessie was 'almost' human. "Jessie, the twerps could be anywhere...and this forest is huge...and the mountain is even 'more' huge!"  
  
Despite the agony in her feet and thighs, Jessie managed a snort/grunt of disgust. Standing straight and puffing out her chest, she stood proudly. "We are Team Rocket, and we will *not* rest until those little punks and their Pikachu belong to *us*." Her speech didn't last, though, and neither did her posture. She quickly took back to leaning against the tree, wiping her brow with her black vinyl glove. "It'll be easy, James. Why, they could be right under our noses."  
  
Meowth sat down by their feet, using the tree's network of roots as a sort of painfully hard recliner. "Yeah, I'm really sure, Jessie..." the Hollywood tabby groaned sarcastically, waving a paw in the general direction ahead of them, "Dey could wind up right'n fronna us any moment. Surrrre." He stared into the cliff face, which stared right back at him. There was one particular, peculiar mar in its flawless surface; a cold, dark, jagged opening that seemed to tunnel on forever into the very heart of the mountain. The verbose cat Pokémon shivered, a dark feeling coming over him suddenly. "Just outta no where, right in front of us. Keep dreaming, Girlie."  
  
It took exactly one instant for Ash and company to walk up to the mouth of the cave, right in front of Team Rocket's disbelieving eyes. Fiddling around with their supplies for a moment, they each drew a small electric lantern out of their packs and, steeling their collective nerves, entered the cavernous maw, disappearing into the backdrop of inky blackness with nary a trace.  
  
James was the first to get over the shock. "Jessie, I'll never doubt you again!" his energy returned from out of nowhere as he leapt up in the air, grabbing his partner's hands and dancing around gleefully. She danced with him, beaming with pride and hope.  
  
"You see? Just have a little faith!" she exclaimed. After a moment, though, the woman was all business. Clearing her throat, she began rallying her troops. "Okay, let's go get that Pikachu!" She took off at warp speed, her companion hot on her heels.  
  
Meowth, however, could do nothing but groan. "When I said 'appear outta nowhere,' I didn't mean right dis second!!!" he whined, hauling himself to his awkward hind legs and giving chase.  
* * *  
  
"Boy, it sure is dark in here..." Richie turned up the juice on his electric torch, brightening their journey just a little bit more.  
  
*Dark in here...*  
*Dark in here...*  
  
Ash led the way into the narrow passage. Despite the random, erratic manner in which it twisted and turned, it didn't seem natural; just the opposite, in fact. The tunnel's smooth floors and smooth walls gave the young trainer the suspicion that something-or someone- had carved this route. "Just stick close."  
  
*Stick close...*  
*Stick close...*  
  
Ash drew just a tiny hint of satisfaction when Misty drew closer to him, practically walking on his shoes. He quickly chased away the thoughts, though; there was only room for one impossible task at a time, and unfortunate as it was, the Goddess had commandeered his full attention with hers.  
  
Pikachu walked alongside Ash, black eyes gleaming as it adjusted to the dim lighting and eerie darkness. Being a mouse, it had little trouble with caves and tunnels. "Pika..." it cooed softly.  
  
*Pika...*  
*Pika...*  
  
"Cool echo..." Richie commented offhandedly, clutching his Silph jacket closer to his ribs. The chill wasn't coming from the cold...it was something else.  
  
*Cool echo...*  
*Cool echo...*  
  
Brock suddenly grinned, cupping his hands to his mouth. "All the ladies love the Brock-Man!"  
  
Deafening silence bombarded the group, giving pause to their march at a particularly dark threshold.  
  
"Stupid echo..." Brock muttered.  
  
*Stupid...Brock-Man!*  
*Stupid...Brock-Man!*  
  
Giselle tilted her head, amused. "Looks like the cave has a sense of humor."  
  
"A dark sense of humor..." Richie muttered, clutching his jacket tighter and tugging on the collar. "I don't like this...there's a presence here."  
  
"Just stick close, and you'll be fine." Ash assured him with far less confidence than he would have liked. He started forward again, a few steps ahead of the rest of the group. Once he rounded the corner of the threshold, his breath was stolen away.  
  
"Honestly, Ketchum, we're in a six-by-six tunnel...what could possibly go wrong?" Giselle walked flippantly to join him. When she saw what he saw, her attitude evaporated and made way for genuine fear. The rest of the group saw their upset reaction and rushed forward.  
  
"Well...there's one thing." Richie's voice quavered.  
  
It was a room. It wasn't a big room, yet it had many doors; there were at least twelve tunnels leading out in different directions from the circular domain, each one of them black as midnight under a moonless sky. The walls of the cave were blanketed in ancient runes and hieroglyphs, spraying gibberish texts all over in volumes that the teens could never imagine, or ever hope to read. The room itself was empty, save for five objects. The first of which was hardly frightening; it was a small gray pedestal upon which rested a gleaming obsidian sphere. Objects two through five were a bit more disconcerting.  
  
A young man in a labcoat, a Clefable and two Clefairy were each sprawled out on the ground around the pedestal. Their eyes were open wide, unblinking and lifeless. Whatever sparks of a soul their eyes had once held was now gone, replaced by massively dilated pupils.  
  
"W-what happened here?" Richie shivered, taking a step back. Ash and Pikachu held none of his reservations. They both rushed in, regardless of whatever had caused the small group to go catatonic. He rolled the body of the researcher over, taking a good look at his glasses-framed face.  
  
"I recognize him...he's that geek we saw when we were here last time. Eyesore...Eigore?" He snapped his fingers, the name springing back to his mind. "Seymour! Seymour and his Clefairy!"  
  
Brock knelt down by the young scientist, feeling his neck. His thick eyebrows descended onto his squinted eyes in a confused frown. "He's still alive...It's like they're in some sort of really deep sleep." The brawny teen looked deep into Seymour's eye, trying to figure out what had happened. "But there's nothing going on upstairs. It's like his brain was just sucked out, or something."  
  
"Pika..." Pikachu waddled over to the Clefable, poking the pink, cadaver-like Pokémon with its claw. "Chu?"  
  
*Sssssssssssssssssssss...*  
  
"What was that?" Richie's head shot over to one of the openings, his fists clenched tight, shaking with fear. "Did you guys hear something?" Brock, Misty and Giselle nodded, scanning the room warily. Ash and Pikachu paid no mind, though. Their eyes were transfixed to the small orb sitting atop the pedestal.  
  
Ash reached out slowly, hesitating to touch the small black sphere. What if it had been the cause of Seymour's "brain drain?" After an eternity of reaching, his fingers brushed up against the ball for an instant before he jerked them away. It was cold, but hardly dangerous. With more certainty this time, he slowly palmed the ball, hefting it in his hand. The smooth obsidian ball was much heavier than it looked.  
  
*Miiiiiisssssssssinnnnngnnnnooooooooooo*  
  
"Pika..." Ash's Pikachu visibly shook at the mysterious hissing. It tugged at Ash's leg as they boy pocketed the black ball, trying to grab his attention. "Pika! Pika-pi, cha-pikachu!" the mouse cried out desperately.  
  
"Relax, Pikachu...whatever did this to Seymour is probably long gone by now." Ash tried to reassure his Pokémon, his own confidence rapidly dwindling. "We're as safe as can be."  
  
*Miiiiiisssssssssinnnnngnnnnooooooooooo*  
  
"Wanna bet?" Misty moved in closer to Ash and Brock despite her flippant remark. "We should leave...and when I say leave, I mean 'run as fast as our legs can possibly take us'."  
  
"N-no!" Richie protested, forcing his knees to stop knocking. His outburst drew surprise from the rest of the group; the chestnut-haired, teal-capped boy had seemed the most fearful of them all in this place. "We can't go...not until we find whatever it is that did this and destroy it."  
  
Giselle held her lantern higher, trying to cast light into the dozen openings along the far end of the circular chamber. "Gotta admit, the kid's got guts. Let's just hope they don't get splattered all over this stupid cave." She began walking towards the middle right passageway, poking her head in. "Well, the only way to find this thing is to start looking."  
  
"Right. We'll split into teams." Ash walked towards another of the passageways, turning to face his friends. His face was a mask of grim uncertainty, but his voice was calm and steady. "Pikachu and I will take this passageway. Brock, you and Giselle try another. Misty, I want you to go with Richie and-"  
  
Giselle laughed mockingly, holding her hand up to stop Ash in mid-sentence. "Who died and made you Master, Ketchum? Screw your plan anyhow; *I'm* the chosen one and I'll find the monster first. And I don't need any of your screw-up loser friends getting in my way." Before he could say another word, she turned on her heel and plunged into the inky blackness, moving around a bend and out of sight.  
  
Ash was about to call out for her to come back when Richie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on, Ash...she might be right." Ash gave him a questioning look, giving cause for a further explanation. "Look, she's right; only one of us is the one meant to stop this thing. I think we should each go our separate ways, try to find this thing."  
  
This didn't bode well with any of them. "I don't know, Richie..." Brock voiced the group's concerns, "It's insanely dangerous to explore caves when they *aren't* inhabited by ancient evil. It would be plain suicide to try and go it alone."  
  
"No, really, I'll be okay." Richie assured them, hefting his lantern and walking to another of the thresholds. He gave them one last smile, putting as much confidence into his face as he could so they could not see his overwhelming terror. "This is what's right, I'm sure of it. The Goddess said to follow my heart, and that's what I'm doing."  
  
"The moment we hear anything, we'll come running." Ash told him in no uncertain terms. Pikachu gave him its own little lecture, trilling and scolding in its own Pika-tongue. This brought a genuine smile to Richie's face.  
  
"I'll be fine." And with that, he took a deep breath to steel his nerves and began his journey down the long, winding pathway. After several bends and corners, the light from Ash's, Misty's, and Brock's lanterns was nothing more than a memory. The only sounds he could hear was the furious beating of his own heart, which threatened to burst out of his chest and bounce merrily down the corridor ahead of him. Richie swallowed hard, forcing any doubt or fear deep down inside, then locking it away.  
  
After several minutes, it seemed to get much better. His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, allowing him to see a bit farther down the long passage. And what a long passage it was; it seemed to go on forever. Minute after minute, hour after hour, Richie explored the narrow passage. Every so often a fork or split would surface up, and he would explore it. Each detour resulted in the same thing; a dead end in the form of a small, empty chamber that would force him to backtrack and continue. The task was becoming frustrating and dull. His attention was just beginning to drift when he felt something brush his shoulder.  
  
"GAAAAAA!" Richie leapt upward in fear, smacking his head into the low ceiling with a sharp thudding sound that he felt all the way down to his toes. Brushing the probable concussion aside, he ripped a Pokéball from his belt and spun around to face his adversary.  
  
"Woah, easy champ!" Giselle's sleek, slender form raised its hands in the dim lighting. When his lantern bumped into her arm during the confusion, she winced and pulled it away as if it had been burnt. "Take it easy, watch where you're swinging that thing."  
  
"Oh! Giselle? Sorry...are you all right?" Richie could hardly believe his eyes. Despite the enormous fear-inducing qualities of their surroundings, his heart began to flutter and soar. Even in the dim lighting, Giselle was the model of perfection, a woman every inch from top to bottom...with plenty of inches to spare.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay...your lantern burnt me, that's all." This puzzled Richie; his lantern was electric, and it was specially designed to emit as little heat as possible. He shrugged, and chalked it up to shoddy craftsmanship. "How about you?" her voice became low and throaty.  
  
"What on earth are you doing here? Did you find the creature?"  
  
Giselle looked confused for a split-second. "The...Creature?" She shook her head. "No, I didn't find anything. My passage ended about a hundred yards from the first room, so I doubled back and decided to follow you."  
  
He frowned, filled with curiosity. "Why?"  
  
She gave him a beaming smile and a flirtatious wink. "I wanted to make sure nothing happened to you, silly."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Her eyes glanced at his lantern again, watering ever so slightly at the glimmering radiance. "Richie, could you do me a favor? Could you turn your lantern down a little bit? My eyes have gotten adjusted to the dark, and it sort of hurts to look at it."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure." He twisted a knob on the side of the small glowing cylinder, lowering the lighting to about half of what it was.  
  
"Thanks...do you think you could do me one more favor?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
She reached over, clasping his free hand in hers. "Think you could hang onto me? I don't want to get separated in these spooky ol' caves."  
  
Now it was his turn to smile. "I-I-I think I can handle that." he squeaked, his voice cracking at the worst possible time.  
* * *  
  
Ash groaned, leaning heavily on the central chamber's wall. Glancing over towards the pedestal, he was slightly comforted to see Seymour and his contingent of Clefairy and Clefable still where they had left them. Pikachu scampered to the fallen scientist and sat on his head, chirping happily at being out of the black corridor. "Pikachu, get off of that! You don't know where it's been."  
  
"Ohhhhhh," Misty groaned, slumping against the wall and sliding onto her bottom. "I hope I never see a tunnel again." she griped, wiping her grimy brow with an equally filthy hand. She looked over at Pikachu, who was lying on top of Seymour's hair as if it were a pillow. "Pikachu, that just isn't nice." Pikachu dejectedly climbed off of the researcher's hair, grumbling and kicking a small pebble.  
  
Brock, in the meantime, was checking the map that he had been making on a small scrap of paper. "It just doesn't make sense...what were all those different rooms for?" he scratched his head. "This layout doesn't make any sense...they're all haphazard."  
  
"No they aren't. You just drew them haphazard." Ash got up, wincing as the muscles in his legs and back protested with every step.  
  
"Are you saying that my map sucks?" Brock snapped indignantly. His anger wasn't surprising, though; they were all on edge after a three-hour hike through a dark cave. "Is that what you're saying, Hat-Boy?"  
  
Tugging on his cap and frowning with disgust, Ash reached with his right hand to his left wrist and began to manipulate Gear's interface a bit uncertainly. "I had my Pokégear mapping out as we went. Here, take a look." he said with a forced calm air, tapping a button. In an instant, Gear began projecting a series of tunnel maps, depicting their path through the inside of the mountain with crystal resolution. "See? They're placed about every...Gear, what's the interval on these chambers?"  
  
"One per six hundred feet." Gear's feminine voice replied crisply. Brock just scowled, throwing down his scrap of a map with frustration.  
  
"Fine. Whatever. Let that stupid watch lead you around, for all I care." he spat.  
  
This evoked a response from Ash. "Hey! Gear is 'NOT' a watch, Explodo-Hair!"  
  
"Actually," Gear corrected him, "I am able to keep time in all major cities down to the nearest millionth of a second."  
  
"Oooooh," a muffled mechanical sneer erupted from Ash's pocket, signaling that Dexter was putting his two cents worth in. "Gee, isn't *that* useful. You stupid C-Watch, I can do anything you can do, only better. Ash, why don't you turn that-"  
  
"Shut up, both of you!" Ash shouted at his digital duo, his head pounding.  
  
"Why don't you shut up?" Brock and Dexter shouted in unison.  
  
Misty couldn't take it any more. "Oh, both of you shut up! I swear, it's like being with a couple of children."  
  
"Like you're any better." Ash began to mimic Misty's voice, raising his pitch about two octaves higher than it normally went: "Look at me, I'm Misty; oh, I'm tired. I'm bored. I'm thirsty. Can't we go back? I don't want to fight ancient evil, I might break a nail. I- " The rest was drown out by the sound of Ash's own choking. Misty had her fingers wrapped around his throat before he knew it and was throttling the life out of him for all she was worth...and Misty was worth quite a bit.  
  
"Misty! Ash! Stop killing each other!" Brock shouted at the top of his lungs. That was a bit overstated, though; it was fairly clear just who was killing whom. "Stop it!"  
  
"Pika pika!" Pikachu decided to take matters into its own claws, and supplied a short blast of not-so-mild electricity to the feministic rage and her blue-hued target. Both fell to the ground, one breathing heavily to try and expunge the fury she felt, and the other breathing heavily to try and restore the needed oxygen back to his brain. "Cha! Pikachu pika!" the Pokémon scolded the pair, shaking a clawed finger at them with disappointment in its tone.  
  
"Gee..." Giselle's voice echoed in the tiny room, drawing their attention towards the threshold that she had chosen several hours before. "What great team spirit you guys have. It'd bring a tear to my eye, 'cept I don't wanna smudge my mascara." She sauntered into the chamber, smirking at them contemptuously. "So where's your little friend? You know, the one that keeps staring at me." she grimaced, sticking out her tongue and making gagging noises.  
  
Ash, having put some air back into his lungs, redirected his anger and frustration towards the obnoxious Prima Donna. "Okay, first off, you could do a *lot* worse than Richie. And second..." he paused, his rage vanishing for the moment. "Hey, wait a minute...if we're back...and you're back...then why isn't Richie back?"  
  
Misty stood as well, a look of concern growing on her face. "He could be in trouble!"  
  
"Let's go guys!" Ash raced down the doorway that Richie had disappeared into, Pikachu hot on his heels. Misty and Brock exchanged a brief glance, then took off after their impulsive 'leader'. Giselle just looked on in confusion, shaking her head.  
  
"Crazy buncha kids..." she muttered, hauling tail to catch up with them as she returned her lantern's output back to full.  
* * *  
  
"Giselle, where the heck are you taking us?" Richie allowed the spry starlet to pull him down the dark path, his heart stuck up in his throat. They had reached the anticlimactic end of the tunnel almost an hour before, and had been heading back for the main chamber ever since. Only a moment ago did Giselle grab his hand and skew their course down one of the tunnel's many offshooting rooms. Once they had reached the small space at the end of the brief tunnel, Giselle took his other hand in hers and swung them playfully, teasing him with a smile.  
  
"I just thought it might be fun to spend a little time exploring one of these rooms...together." her crimson lips seemed to gleam in the dim light of Richie's lantern.  
  
"Oh." he swallowed, tugging on the collar of his shirt, which all of a sudden had become too tight. Or perhaps his heart, still in his throat, had swelled to three times its normal size...Richie wasn't sure which, and at the moment he didn't particularly care.  
  
The brash beauty ran a finger down Richie's chest, tickling his ribs. "Tell me the truth, Richie; you felt it too, didn't you?"  
  
"It?" his voice cracked. "Felt what?" He set the lantern down, trying not to let Giselle notice that his hand was shaking badly.  
  
"An attraction..." she whispered, stepping in even closer. Unconsciously, Richie took a step back, retreating until his back was forced to the wall. "A spark. Whatever you want to call it, it spells magic to me, Cutie." She reached up to his shoulders, slipping the heavy Silph jacket down and off of his arms, letting it drop to the ground.  
  
"Uh, Giselle, I-"  
  
"Hold me."  
  
"Okay." Without even thinking, his hands slipped around her slender waist, drawing her in close. She leaned against him, pressing her body against his, her hot breath rolling across his face. "H-how's this?"  
  
"Perfect." she muttered hoarsely. Placing one hand on his back and the other behind his head, she stood on tiptoe and brought her lips to his. Richie gave in, drinking in his lust for this beautiful girl that he had met only hours before. Her lips seemed unnaturally cold, which was odd; the cold hadn't seemed to bother Giselle. A moan of pleasure coming from the other end of his lips soon chased off any stray thoughts, though, as he brought his mind back to the moment.  
  
For a moment, it was complete bliss. Richie relished the feeling of her tongue wrestling with his, playing inside of their collective mouths with a joy he hadn't experienced in so very long...practically never. Then, without warning, her tongue seemed to expand, exploding to fill his mouth and moving down his throat with a cold, unstoppable force. His eyes snapped open to find the horrifying image of what was once Giselle, leering at him with glowing pinpoint pupils.   
  
She had pulled back, but the coldness remained inside of him. Spreading rapidly within Richie, it sapped the very life force from him, stealing any strength he might have used to fight it off. A single tendril of black ecto was the connection between them, protruding from her mouth and snaking its way past his lips and spreading the black force within him.  
Richie tried to scream, but his voice was smothered before it even reached his throat. After an eternity of chill and pain, the force reached his mind. With a terrifying jolt, the young trainer could feel pieces of his life flash before his eyes before they vanished, as if never there to begin with.  
  
*+* *+* *+*  
Professor Young held out the Pokéball to a youthful, foolish ten-year-old boy, grinning at the child's enthusiasm. "It's a Charmander. Remember to take good care of it, and be careful; beginners sometimes have trouble when their Pokémon evolve."  
  
"Oh boy!" the young Richie squealed, taking the Pokéball from the aging Professor's hand. He twisted his brand new heavy teal cap backward on his head, clipping the ball to his equally new leather Ball Belt. "My first Pokémon! I'll call him..." he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mimicking his father's favorite pondering pose. "I've got it! I'll call you Zippo!"  
*+* *+* *+*  
  
  
*+* *+* *+*  
"I'm sorry, Richie," Karen looked deep into his eyes, her soft brown hair swirling about in the wind, obscuring her tear-filled eyes for a brief moment, "I'm so sorry. I can't love you..." Together, they stood on the docks by the moonlit bay, crying together with the pain of a broken heart, knowing that they would never see each other again.  
  
"I know...I know..." was all Richie could think to say as he stroked her hair, clenching back sobs of anguish as his tears fell to the creaking wood of the dock. His stomach felt as if it were twisting and wrenching its way out of his body, and his chest felt as if it would burst. As they wept, a small part of him couldn't help but wonder if the pain would ever go away.  
*+* *+* *+*  
  
Richie's life was vanishing with a kiss. He desperately clutched at his memories as they slipped away, trying to keep a shred of what he once was. It was all for naught; Giselle, or what he had thought to be Giselle, had total possession of his mind and had no intention of leaving a single thought in his head. As he slumped against the wall, whatever remained of Richie shivered with pure, unbridled fear as a soft, dark voice whispered in the bottommost reaches of his rapidly vanishing mind.  
  
**You belong to me now...**  
* * *  
  
"Richie!"  
  
For an hour now, the group hadn't been able to find a trace of their wayward companion in the pitch black of the tunnel. Just now, though, Ash had thought he had caught a glimmer of light for just a split second down one of the empty chambers jutting out of the main corridor. Filled with a sense of relief, Ash began dashing down the side passage with Pikachu scampering at his side, his lantern lit at full. "Richie, are you..." As he rounded the last twist in the passage, he skidded to an abrupt halt with shock. "Okay?" his voice squeaked with terror.  
  
"Pika?"  
  
The thing that looked like Giselle turned around, snarling at the intruders with the ectoplasm tendril still jutting from its maw. Frozen with fear, Ash and Pikachu were horrified by the mere sight of the being as it held Richie's limp form several inches off of the ground. His mind was too filled with terror to notice when the rest of the search party caught up with them.  
  
"Ash, what-OH MY GOD!" Misty screeched, smacking into Ash. Her rough halt caused Giselle to slam into her, which in turn sent Brock bowling into her. Unfortunately for Ash, the laws of Physics were still in full force in the demonic chamber; he was sent flying forward like a billiard ball, stumbling to his knees at the monster's feet.  
  
The creature that was not Giselle released its hold on Richie, retracting the black tongue of evil back into its mouth with a sickening slurp. The brain-drained boy dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, shuddering and reeling, curling up and clutching himself tightly. The creature proceeded to grab Ash by the throat, lifting him to his feet and sneering.  
  
"Such a troubled face..." it leered, clamping its hand tightly around Ash's windpipe, "I'll bet your memories are deliciously anguished."  
  
"PIKA!" Pikachu was snapped out of its stupor, and had launched itself at the monster. The thunderous mouse's skin was alive with pure energy, rolling and sparking across its fur with a fury it had never felt before. "PIKA! PIKA-CHA!" Pikachu let loose with a pinpoint thunderbolt, barely a centimeter in diameter but with more force than a bolt of lightning. The monster wasn't even fazed as the bolt passed straight through its body, slamming into the cave wall behind it. Almost as a second thought, it reached up and caught the Pikachu in mid-air, its fingers stretching and warping to encompass the mouse's waistline.  
  
"ASH!" Misty and Brock both screamed out in unison, too afraid to move but wishing for all the world that they could save their friend. Giselle, on the other hand, could only wonder how something so vile could have a face exactly like hers.  
  
Ash squirmed, trying to get free. His fists pounded on the monster's chest and arm to no avail; its grip was like steel, but a thousand times colder. Its face drew closer and closer to his, its mouth now open. Thousands upon thousands of black, dark tendrils were rolling about in its mouth, hungry for another mind...his mind. 'This is it,' his inner voice wailed, 'This is how I die? Some stupid thousand-year-old monster eats my guts?' It certainly wasn't the death he had envisioned, or the one he would have preferred.  
  
As it turned out, it wasn't death for Ash at all; inches from his face, the monster froze. It's gaze drifted down to Ash's jacket's pocket as it sensed something familiar...something it feared. As if by magic, a blood-red light began pouring from the pocket, bathing the room in a hellish glow. Terrified, the monster dropped Ash and his Pikachu unceremoniously on their rumps, then pressed its back against the wall, trying desperately to get away from the horrible light. "The Demon Ball!" it hissed, its face of Giselle twisted in fear.  
  
Ash coughed as he shifted on his hands and knees and tried very, very hard not to vomit. As he did so, the small black orb he had plucked from the pedestal in the central chamber dropped to the ground, no longer black; it now shone with a blinding red aura, the source of the new light and also the demon's terror. He looked up with total confusion as he saw the demon hissing and spitting at the ball.  
  
Then the demon exploded.  
  
'Exploded' wasn't quite accurate; the demon was in semi-human form one moment, then simply was not the next. Its skin shifted, expanding into a cloud of black mist that swirled in an almost cohesive manner. In another instant, the mist leapt forward, rushing past first Ash and Pikachu, then Brock, Misty, and Giselle, escaping down the tunnel with an echoing cry.  
  
**Msssssssssssiinnnooooooo**  
  
The moment the creature left, Misty and Brock rushed forward to help their friend to his feet. He waved them off, picking up his dazed Pikachu and standing slowly, rubbing his throat with his free hand uncomfortably.  
  
"What in the name of the Goddess was that?" Brock looked back towards the path of the departing demon, his eyes clenched tightly together in an even heavier squint than normal. Ash just shook his head, bending over to pick up the fallen orb. The younger boy examined the now-silent black orb, dead since the monster's exodus.  
  
"Nothing in the name of the Goddess, Brock...probably just the opposite."  
* * *  
  
It had taken nearly two hours to move Richie's twitching, shivering form back to entrance of the caves, and another half-hour to transplant Seymour and his Pokémon entourage out as well. By the end of the arduous task, the remaining teens were sweating despite the cold midnight chill of the dark forest. Brock had carefully laid out the catatonic quartet on the ground, laying out a bed of pine needles to soften the hard woodland floor. Pikachu was aiding him, jumping from tree to tree and knocking down the loose needles. Misty, in the meantime, was tending to Richie. The boy had his back leaning against a boulder, his teeth chattering, and his skin cold and clammy.  
  
"Here," Misty draped a blanket over his shaking frame, "Try to keep still..." He flinched at first, but eventually accepted the blanket with some reluctance. Giving him her warmest smile, she squeezed his hand for comfort, and was glad to feel him squeeze back. She then stood and joined Ash and Giselle a few meters away.  
  
"Gear," Ash spoke quietly into the small device on his wrist, "Uh...we need to get help out here."  
  
"Specify." the Pokégear's cold feminine voice requested.  
  
Ash grumbled, glancing over first at Brock tending to the fallen mountain dwellers, then to his memory-mugged friend. "Look, Seymour's been brain-drained and Richie just got mauled by some sort of evil smoke thing. We need 'help', Gear, and we need it fast."  
  
Gear immediately interpreted the trainer's request, buzzing slightly against Ash's wrist. "Searching for closest medical aid facility." There was a pause. "Suitable match found; Mount Moon Emergency Rescue Volunteers, located twenty miles north-northeast, approximate. Shall I place a request for immediate aid?"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"Acknowledged. Transmitting now." Ash sighed in relief, his shoulders slumping. He caught the worried look on Misty's face, following her gaze back to Richie.  
  
"Is he going to be okay?"  
  
She shook her head, lifting her hands in a shrugging gesture. "I'm no doctor, but from what I can tell, I think he may be going into shock." She glanced back again, watching the troubled boy clutching his shoulders and shaking like a leaf in a typhoon. "The blanket will help, but what he needs is a 'real' doctor."  
  
"I just put in a call..." Ash looked down at Gear, which had displayed a message telling him of the message's departure. Heaving a sigh, he let his thoughts drift back to the clutches of the horrible monster. Hoping against hope, Ash pulled out Dexter and activated the machine's power. "Dex, you were active for the fight with that...whatever-it-was, weren't you?"  
  
"You mean Smokey the Evil Mist? Sure, I managed to take a peek out of your pocket when he had his...whatever-it-was wrapped around your neck." The Pokédex responded crisply, its annoying jokes and celebrity impressions put aside for the moment. "And before you ask; No, I don't have a clue what that thing was...It doesn't correlate with any data I've ever seen."  
  
"Great." Giselle drawled sarcastically, crossing her arms and snorting with disgust. "Some help you two have been. Outta three possible Chosen Ones, one of them got his brain sucked out and the other was nearly strangled."  
  
"Don't forget the third one," Misty sneered, "She nearly wet her pants when she saw that thing."  
  
The starlet whirled on Misty, raising a fist in anger. "Listen you red-headed bimbo, I don't need to take any guff from Ketchum's scrawny, ugly little wench right now. Why don't you take a long walk off a short cliff, 'kay?"  
  
Before Misty could murder Giselle, Ash snapped at both of them, "Will you two pu-LEASE shut up? I'm trying to think!" His head was pounding, and it wasn't likely that the migraine would disappear anytime soon. If only he had some kind of information on that...that thing, that monster. He needed to know what it was they were up against. The problem is, there wasn't too much data on ancient demon Pokémon anymore. Practically the only information Ash knew about would have to be in the Foretelling of...  
  
"That's it!" Ash cried out, startling the entire group. Pikachu had been unfortunate enough to be perched precariously on the end of a limb; the Pokémon took a painful tumble to the forest floor, landing in a heap at Brock's feet. Ignoring their protests and inquiries, Ash once again began to address his Pokégear. "Gear, get me the Oak Institute for Pokémon Research. If I'm right, only one person will still be up...if he's back from his study on African Pokémon genealogy."  
* * *  
  
Tracey Sketch, clad only in silk boxers, a tank top, and fuzzy pink Snubble slippers, shuffled across his neat, orderly apartment above Oak's research complex with short, stumbling steps. The phone continued to buzz and ring at him, continuing to annoy the drowsy Watcher after tearing him from dreamland. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming already..." he muttered, reaching out with a heavy hand for the phone's headset. After three tries, he managed to grab hold, plopping himself down at his terminal in case there was a visual attached to the phone signal. "Hullo?" he yawned into the microphone.  
  
"Tracey? Is that you?" An all-too-familiar voice echoed over the link, snapping Tracey back to consciousness. "Hello? Tracey, are you there?"  
  
"Ash? Ash Ketchum, is that you?"  
  
"Yes! Tracey, am I glad to see you...er, hear you, I mean."  
  
Tracey glanced over at the clock, instantly remembering that he was tired. "Ash, do you have any idea what time it is?"  
  
"Yes. It's time to ask for a favor." Ash's voice went from friendly to desperate in under a second, pleading with Tracey for an unknown need. "Tracey, I really need your help."  
  
"Where are you? What's going on?" The researcher was now more confused than irritated. He stood up, ready to wake the Professor should the situation warrant it. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"Not yet. Tracey, listen to me: do you know about Professor Oak's new book. That 'Foretelling of What's-his-name', or whatever it is?"  
  
"Ma'kala? Sure, that's all he's been able to talk about. That, and Gary winning the League Championship. Ash, how on Earth did you lo-"  
  
"Later. Look, I need to know what that book says."  
  
Tracey laughed. "Well, gee, let me get it and start reading it for you. Ash, the thing is written in ancient Pokémopolitese...I can't read it. It's taken the Professor months just to translate a fraction of it-"  
  
"And knowing him, he's got it all on a computer file for backup, just in case something ever happened to the book."  
  
Tracey was dumbfounded. "No," he said slowly but firmly, "Absolutely not. Professor Oak's computer files are sacred to him. If he ever found out that I tampered with them..."  
  
"I'm linking my Pokédex to the satellite signal now, Tracey." Ash's voice stated simply over the link-up. There was a long pause, as if Ash were waiting expectantly.  
  
At long last, Tracey sighed heavily. He flipped his terminal on, accessing the Compound's central database. "You owe me *so* big for this, Ash." He said as he found the file. With a few keystrokes and mouse-clicks, the translated texts of the Foretelling of Ma'kala was sent across the airwaves.  
* * *  
  
"Add it on to the tab I already owe you, Tracey. Thanks." Ash checked his 'Dex's files, noting with satisfaction that his old friend hadn't let him down.  
  
"Whatever you need it for, I hope it's import enough to sneak around behind the Professor's back like this." Tracey's tinny voice rang out from Gear. "I'm going back to bed. Look me up the next time you're in Pallet, will you?"  
  
"I promise. G'night, Tracey." Ash closed the link, grinning despite the seriousness of their situation. He looked down at his Pokédex expectantly, restating his previous questions to the palmtop computer. "Okay Dexter, show me the demon."  
  
"Wellllll," Dexter drawled, scanning the newly acquired files, "Based on what Pen Man sent us, I'd have to say it's this charming fellow." With a beep, the Pokédex's program shifted from interactive guide to informational database. Its voice now monotone, Dexter was all business. "Missingno: the Mist Pokémon. Created by the ancient Pokémopolitans, Missingno's diet consists entirely of memory patterns removed from a victim's head."  
  
"Any weaknesses?" Misty inquired hopefully, peeking over Ash's shoulder. Pikachu had taken to the other shoulder, and had leaned out far enough that it became necessary to grab Ash's hat before it took its second plummet for the night. "Please, tell me it's weak to water."  
  
Dexter searched for a moment. "No known elemental weaknesses found in database."  
  
"Rats..." Ash muttered, tugging on his cap and, consequently, sending Pikachu tumbling off of his shoulder. Of course, he was hardly surprised. If something had been able to worry the greatest empire in the history of the world, it certainly wasn't going to be easy for a bunch of teenagers to take out. "Okay...it will probably be a while before the cavalry gets here, so what we need now is a new game plan."  
  
"I don't know about you," Giselle quipped, cracking her knuckles, "But I'm heading back in."  
  
Brock froze in his treatment of the KO'ed scientist and his equally unconscious friends, looking at her as if she had just claimed she was going to put out Richie's Moltres with a dixie cup filled with gasoline. "Have you lost your gorgeous mind?" the Rock Master cried, leaping to his feet. "That *thing* ate Richie's brain, it doesn't have any weaknesses, and it doesn't seem to have a problem moving around in those pitch-black tunnels..." He slammed a fist into his open palm. "We're talking 'Death Wish', here!"  
  
"Please." she scoffed, waving him off like a bad odor. "I don't care what happened to your little friend there. I've been handpicked by the Pokégoddess to stop Missingno, and that's what I'm going to do. End of story."  
  
"Not end of story." Ash rasped, snapping Dexter shut and brushing past Misty. "You seem to be forgetting something; the Goddess wasn't sure 'which' one of us was the right one." Folding his arms, he took a confident tone to his voice, pulling himself up to his full height; an entire inch above Giselle's crown of chestnut brown hair. "Richie may be out of the picture, but don't count me out just yet."  
  
"Fine." Giselle scowled, grimacing with disgusted annoyance. "We both go back into the cave. The first one to bag Missingno is the Goddess's Right-Hand-Woman."  
  
"*MAN*!"  
  
"We'll see." With that, she pivoted on her heel and stalked back into the fearsome dungeon of evil. Ash was about to follow right in her footsteps when a pair of strong hands grabbed him from behind.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Brock grunted, holding his friend back. "Sorry, Ash, but I'd have to be nuts to let you back in there." As Ash struggled, he could feel another set of smaller hands close around his leg. Glancing down, he saw Pikachu tugging him back, trying with all its Pika-power to keep him from going back in. "It's suicide," Brock continued, keeping Ash's arms locked behind his back.  
  
Misty stepped in front of the struggling trainer, her arms akimbo as if to block Ash's path to the cave. "Listen to him, Ash...we're worried sick about you right now." Her voice grew sad as she glanced briefly over to the shivering form of Richie. "This whole Goddess dream thing is getting out of hand."  
  
Ash stopped for a moment, his fiery eyes locking into her gaze. "You think that's all this is? Just someone chasing after a stupid dream?" he spat, the volume of his voice growing in tandem with his rage. "You think I'm crazy? You 'still' don't believe me, even after you saw it with your own eyes?" With one smooth, fluid motion, Ash jerked his arms free of Brock's iron grip, stumbling forward. The only thing that kept him from falling to the ground was Misty, who inadvertently wrapped her arms around his waist, catching him.  
  
"I...I believe you..." she murmured.  
  
His steely amber eyes drilled a path straight through her skull, frightening her with an intensity she hadn't seen in them ever before. "Let go of me."  
  
"I'll kick the living crap out of you if I have to, Ashlan Ketchum!" she threatened him. The quaver in her voice, however, told them all that she didn't mean it in the least. "I mean it!"  
  
"Let...go...of...me."  
  
Slowly, Misty released Ash, loath to break their embrace. Ash began to stalk towards the cave. He did not look back...to see the hurt look on his dearest friends' faces would have torn his heart to shreds.  
  
"Pika! Pika-pi!" Pikachu scrambled after its trainer, desperate to catch up. It took one last, long look at Brock and Misty before following Ash into the inky blackness of the tunnels, leaving the Master of Rock and the Mistress of the Sea to tend to the fallen.  
  
Brock sighed, turning to glance at their charges with grim pessimism. "Well, I guess we're on our own now, huh Misty?" There was no reply. "Misty?"  
  
He turned back. Misty was no where to be found. Brock was completely alone.  
  
"Crap..."  
* * *  
  
"Pika...Pika pikacha?" Pikachu looked up at its oldest friend worriedly, wondering what had brought about this sudden change in the boy. A mere day ago Pikachu had known exactly who Ash Ketchum was. Now it kept hearing Misty, Brock and even poor Richie talking about some Goddess that it had never heard of before, and of destinies and world-saving and other such things that it didn't like to think about. Ash had been uncomfortably quiet over the past ten minutes, since parting with the others. "Cha?"  
  
"No, Pikachu, I'm fine." Ash assured his Pokémon unconvincingly with a cold, dead tone, "I'm fine. I just...know what has to be done now, that's all." He held his lantern up, inspecting the tunnel carefully as they made their way down the narrow passage.  
  
"OH!"  
  
The shout had come from behind them. Throwing caution to the wind, Ash and Pikachu whirled around one-eighty degrees, dashing back the way they had come. Ash attached the lantern to his belt, then pulled several Pokéballs out and expanded them to full size. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what he found.  
  
"Help me up, will you?" Misty's soft, feminine voice coughed from beneath a shock of red hair, barely visible in the dim light. He groaned, pushing herself up to her hands and knees, her clothes covered with sticky brown dust from the fall. "Man, those stupid rocks come out of nowhere, don't they?"  
  
"Misty?" Ash couldn't believe it. He slapped the Pokéballs back onto his belt and retook the lantern in hand, holding it next to her face as if to inspect what he had found. "What in the world are you doing here?" Pikachu shouted its own inquiries at the young girl, sparking with excitement and happiness to see its friend once more.  
  
"Ah!" Misty winced, twisting her face away from the bright lantern. "Watch it, will you? You shone that stupid thing in my eyes!" After he helped her to her feet, she began to brush herself off as she explained. "Look...I, uh..."  
  
"You came after me."  
  
She sighed. "If I can't stop you from risking your life stupidly, at least let me risk mine right alongside you." Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness, casting a spell over Ash in a way that he hadn't felt in ages. How long had it been since she had looked at him like that? "I won't let you do this alone, Ash."  
  
"I...uh...fine." he managed to get out. Turning back in the direction of his and Pikachu's attempted exploration, Ash began to blaze a trail in the search for Missingno once more. The boy was frozen in his tracks when he felt something warm slip into his hand hanging down at his side. Tracing a line of sight down his own arm, he found his gaze led to his hand, which led to Misty's hand, then trailed up Misty's arm, finally arriving at her warm, smiling face. "What-"  
  
"So I don't get lost..." she explained quickly.  
  
"Oh...okay." He felt a giddy rush as they continued onward into the darkness, hand in hand. Pikachu stopped for a moment, sniffing the air suspiciously. Something was wrong.  
  
Something was very wrong.  
* * *  
  
"Misty?" Brock called out at the top of his lungs, walking around the immediate perimeter of the cave's mouth. He had been searching desperately for the young girl to no avail. It was as if she had stepped off the face of the Earth itself. "Misty! Where are you?" A strong hand gripped his shoulder suddenly, causing him to jump in fright. A few seconds later, once he had landed, he spun around to face whatever it had been to grab him.  
  
"Woah, take it easy, cowboy..." Misty held up her hands, trying to calm Brock down. "I'm right here...you can stop shouting." She lowered her voice as if to prove what she had claimed.  
  
Brock tried to force his heart rate back down, wiping his brow with relief. "Misty, thank God...where the heck have you been?" he demanded, "I've been searching for you for almost fifteen minutes!"  
  
She looked down at the ground, toeing a small mound of dirt up with embarrassment. "I, uh...I tried to follow Ash, but I lost him at the main chamber...I didn't know what to do, so I came back here." She looked at him, overcome with concern. "Are you okay? You look like you're scared out of your wits."  
  
"I am!" he exclaimed, "But I'm a little less scared now that I found you." They were both silent for a moment. "So what do we do now?" he finally asked.  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment, lost in contemplation. There were so many different things going on; the search for this Missingno thing, the injured people that no doubt needed careful attention...and rising above them all was her feelings for Ash. She quickly tried to squash those feelings, knowing full well that they would not only fail to help her think more clearly, but also knowing without a doubt that particular road would only lead back to heartbreak.  
  
Well...almost without a doubt.  
  
"C'mon," she said, starting for the cave's mouth. "We have to find Ash." Somehow, she knew that if they didn't, he wouldn't live through to see the next dawn.  
  
"Right." Brock nodded, following. Then he stopped, taking a moment to think the situation through. "Uh, Misty? How are we gonna find him?"  
  
"Simple." she told him with complete sincerity, "We follow our hearts."  
  
"Oh...I knew that." he said a little uncertainly. Still, something about chasing after Ash didn't feel right. Something was wrong.  
  
Something was very wrong.  
* * *  
  
'Back...go back...'  
  
Ash tried to shake the voice out of his head, growling at the murmuring tone buzzing in the back of his mind. Ever since he had met up with Misty inside the tunnels, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the right way was the way they had already been. Pikachu seemed to share his feelings, looking up at him with its dark brown eyes and continuing to glance over its tiny yellow shoulder.  
  
"Ash?" Misty asked, giving his hand a squeeze, "Is everything all right?"  
He stopped in tandem with his Pokémon, turning around. "We need to go back." he stated simply, dragging Misty back the way they had come with absolution.  
  
"What? Back? A-are you sure?" Misty asked, her voice laced with confusion. "Why back? Missingno isn't that way, is he?"  
  
"I...Yes. No. I don't know."  
  
"Then why go back?"  
  
"Pika..." Pikachu cooed softly, its dark eyes glimmering. It began to walk back, its feet padding against the cold brownish-gray stone of the floor with each step. Ash looked on as his Pokémon receded into the blackness, now sure of what it was he knew he must do.  
  
He frowned, trying to explain what it was he was feeling. "I...I'm not sure. It's just a feeling."  
* * *  
  
Finally, after what had seemed an eternity of walking (and was, in actuality, a mere seven and a half minutes), Misty and Brock reached the central chamber, now devoid of everything save the empty pedestal in the center. Sweeping their lanterns' light across the text-filled walls, they searched in vain for some sign of Ash or Pikachu.  
  
"They aren't here..." Misty said, weighed down with disappointment. She set her lantern down on the pedestal, trying to cut through the solid black of the dozen passageways with her aqua blue gaze. She had hoped that Ash would still be here, possibly figuring out some sort of plan for searching for the demon. Of course, that was just wishful thinking; Ash never planned for anything.  
  
"What did you expect," Brock voiced what her mind had already told her, "That he would just sit here, twiddling his thumbs?" He poked his head into one of the tunnels, looking about for a moment before pulling back out again. "Guess we'll have to wait for him to come back."  
  
Misty nodded glumly, her eyes playing across the circumference of the tunnel. In an instant, her eyes as well as her demeanor brightened significantly. "Looks like we won't have to wait long. Look!" She pointed excitedly to one of the openings, which had begun to glow with a light that was clearly not coming from either Misty's or Brock's lantern. Brock walked over to join Misty by the pedestal, beaming with a broad smile that was rivaled only by hers.  
  
As the light grew brighter, they could hear footsteps accompanying what they assumed to be Ash and Pikachu. After several eons and an epoch of waiting, Ash's athletic, jacket-obscured frame rounded the corner, followed by the tiny form of Pikachu...  
  
...and then by the lithe, slender, strong Mistress of Water, looking as happy as could be as she held Ash's hand delicately clutched in her gentle grip.  
  
Misty froze in mid-shout of joy, staring at her as 'she' stared right back at 'her'. Then, in unison, they began to speak.  
  
"What is *that*?"  
  
Ash, in the meantime, was in danger of losing his head as it snapped from one Misty to the other, then back again. The power-packed Pikachu could only park itself on the cave floor, pondering the problem. Brock was similarly confused, but collected enough wits to formulate a cohesive sentence. Given the circumstances, up to and including the sight of a double dose of Misty, it wasn't an altogether bad observation.  
  
"Hey! There's two of them!"  
  
"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock." each of the youngest Waterflowers snorted sarcastically, rolling their collective eyes. Then their gaze locked on one another, all else forgotten. "You fake!" they harmonized loudly, pointing a finger of accusation at the other.  
  
"Pika! Pika-pika!" Pikachu shouted at them, snarling first at one, then at the other.  
  
"Pikachu..." they both turned to the electric mouse, holding out their hands and pleading to the Pokémon, "Don't you recognize me? She's the fake, not me!"  
  
Ash stepped back from 'his' Misty, eyeing 'Brock's' Misty warily. "Two Mistys...but no way of telling which one is real." As he scratched his head, a piercing glow erupted from his pocket, just as it had done several hours before, deep inside the heart of the mountain. All the arguing and shouting stopped momentarily as everyone's eyes focused on his pocket. "Huh?" Ash reached into his pocket, drawing out the black orb. Exactly as before, it was alive with a blood-red glow that lit the room with a demonic aura.  
  
"Ash, that's the thing that went haywire when Missingno attacked us before, remember?" Brock cried out, rushing over to Ash. He grabbed the ball from Ash's hand. Almost immediately, the ball lost its glow, returning to its obsidian sheen, as it had possessed when it had rested on the pedestal. "Hey...what's wrong? Did it run out of batteries?" Curious, he returned it to Ash's hand, who took it with some hesitation. In another instant, it began to glow again, shining even brighter than before.  
  
"What *is* this thing?" Ash muttered, examining the ball. As he did so, a small portion of the ball darkened, forming several black characters in ancient Pokémopolitese on its curved surface. This would have been amazing enough, but what was even more incredible was the fact that Ash could now understand what the letters had said. It should have been impossible; he had never learned a single word of the ancient Pokémopolitan language, but the letters were as clear to him as plain English or Japanese.  
  
Child of darkness, trapped by light,  
Come thy hence unto this urn,  
Dark creation, carrion of plight,  
Cry thy name, and now Return.  
  
Reading and understanding, however, were two very different things. Try as Ash's rusted cogs might, they could not begin to formulate the meaning of the jumbled, garbled message.  
  
No one bothered to look up as Giselle made her entrance from the opposite side of the room. She entered with a swagger, making protests to all their sudden noise, but froze in her tracks as she saw what lay before her; a pair of Mistys, a glowing orb patterned with unreadable text, and Ash Ketchum, standing at the center of the entire swirl of mystery. "Just what in blazes is going on?"  
  
"I..." Ash was speechless, trying to comprehend the profound moment. The ball, the text, the visions...they all pointed to what he had feared, and secretly hoped. Ash Ketchum was the chosen Disciple of the Pokégoddess. Now, if he could only figure out who was who, at least as far as Misty went. But how could he tell them apart? They were identical, both in appearance and mannerisms. How could Missingno put on such a convincing performance of Misty when it had just seen her...Richie. 'Richie's memories inside of that thing,' Ash forcefully reminded himself. Everything Richie knew, the Missingno-Misty knew.  
  
Giselle wasn't the least bit concerned with Ash's dilemma. She didn't care about the fate of the world, or what happened to any of them at the moment. All that she could think about was the sheer unfairness of the situation. She was the top student at PokéTech, one of the top contenders in the Indigo League, and one of the most beautiful women in the world...and *he* was the one that fate had chosen. Him, not her. Ash...not Giselle.  
  
"What?" she roared, screeching loud enough to shatter glass, "Him? I don't believe it!"  
  
The Misty on Ash's left...the one that had been with Brock...immediately reacted, looking straight into Ash's confused eyes. "I do."  
  
"What?" The other Misty looked over at her with confusion, "What are you talking about?"  
  
The first Misty ignored the second. She kept her eyes locked with Ash's, speaking slowly and calmly. "I believe you." A slow smile blossomed on her face as she hoped and prayed that he would remember...that he would believe her in turn.  
  
A sudden rush came over Ash, as if someone had flipped a switch inside of his soul. The ball, the monster, his destiny...he somehow understood it all, yet he had no idea just what it was he understood. He drew his hand back and aimed straight for the Misty on his right, teeth bared in a vicious growl. "It ends now."  
  
"Wait, Ash don't!" 'Misty' screamed, but it was too late. Ash had thrown the black sphere, hurtling it straight at the Misty's head. A split second before it hit her head, it seemed to pause, freezing in midair and defying any and all laws of physics. The Newtonian nightmare hovered, flashing brighter than it ever had before. The Misty that Ash had targeted began to melt under the crimson light, evaporating into the black mist of Missingno. The creature shrieked in anguish as the ball began to draw it into an unseen orifice, sucking the demon up as a high-powered vacuum would. With one final scream, Missingno vanished into the black ball. Its mission now complete, the glowing sphere dropped to the ground, its light dying with one final flair of brilliance.  
  
"Misty, are you okay?" Ash stepped forward, relieved to see his friend in one piece. Misty smiled at him, then brought her fist across his jaw in a stunning right hook.  
  
"You IDIOT! Can't you tell me apart from ultimate evil?" Misty started bawling him out, waving her arms at him as if she were about to start strangling the very life out of him. "I mean, could you have 'possibly' taken any longer to decide which one of us to kill?"  
  
The ball, which had lain still for a moment, now began to blink from red to black intermittently. Pikachu made its way around the furious Misty to investigate the ball, poking at it worriedly. "Pika..." Pikachu called out to them, trying to get their attention. Ash, however, was too busy being beaten to notice his Pokémon or its problem at the moment. Brock was occupied as he attempted to hold Misty back, and Misty was, naturally, trying to kill Ash.  
  
Giselle, in the meantime, had remained frozen to the spot after witnessing Ash's fantastic capture of Missingno. She still could not believe that she was just an ordinary trainer...beautiful, to be sure, but not ordained by the gods to save the planet. So distraught was she that she didn't even notice three shadowy figures entering the chamber. Giselle continued to raise a blind eye to them as they set up several equipment stands and lighting fixtures, only coming to notice them as they began to shout.  
  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
  
"And make it double!"  
  
The brawling trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock paused in their fight, looking over as several blinding spotlights created a small stage of light on the chamber floor. Standing in the middle of the spectral theater were Jessie and James, dressed in their usual Rocket fatigues. A large, undoubtedly overpriced sound system began to play accompanying music as they started their dueling monologue.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie started, pulling out a rubber-coated steel cable net, slinging it over her shoulder. She posed for the teenagers, throwing modesty to the wind as she blew them a kiss.  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation," James produced a large fishing rod from behind his back. He grabbed the end of Jessie's net, attaching it to the sharp hook in the end of his line. Then, getting a bearing on his target, wound up and launched the net line straight at everyone's favorite yellow Pokémon.  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love," Jessie squealed with delight as the net closed around the squirming, shouting Pikachu, trapping it tightly in the shockproof net.  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above." With a grunt, James began to reel the Pokémon in. Ash cried out in protest, lunging to try and catch the net before it could get past him. He was a second too late, and crashed into the ground just shy of the dragging bundle of steel and Pikachu.  
  
"Jessie."   
  
"James." The blue-haired Rocket caught the netted Pikachu, throwing the squirming sack of energy over his shoulder with a haughty laugh.  
  
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" She thumbed a small remote, activating the swirling red backup lights for the grand finale.  
  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"  
  
Meowth leapt on top of the small marble pedestal, mocking Ash with the teen's signature V fingers. "Meowth! Dat's right!"  
  
"Oh, good night." Misty moaned.  
  
"What a fright." Brock snickered.  
  
"Hey!" Jessie cried out indignantly, "Stop making fun of us!"  
  
"Give me back my Pikachu!" Ash used one of his many, 'many' cliches, jabbing a finger at the Rockets Three with extreme prejudice. They responded with a sloppy raspberry, pulling their lower eyelids down in what is no doubt an untranslatable Japanese gesture of insult, jeering him and waving the Pikachu in front of them, taunting him with the snarling rodent.  
  
"Nyaa nyaa! We've got a Pikachu and you don't, twerp!" James cackled, poking Pikachu through the rubberized cables with a gloved finger. Pikachu promptly rewarded the slow-witted move by clamping down on his finger with its viselike jaws. "GAAAAAA! He's biting me! He's biting me!" He began to dance about, waving the netted Pikachu around with total disregard for anyone around him. Meowth was the first to suffer somewhat indirectly from Pikachu's fangs; he was in the path of the rogue net, taking a blow straight to the head and toppling from the pedestal. "Get it off get it off get it off!" James squealed, whimpering.  
  
"Hold still, you moron!" Jessie snapped, grabbing his arm. She tugged on Pikachu, trying to yank the Pokémon off, but its teeth wouldn't budge. "Maybe if you weren't so stupid, you wouldn't get yourself into situations like this."  
  
Ash's throat rumbled with a feral growl as he reached for his Pokébelt, drawing a red and white marble-sized ball out of its socket and expanding it with a flick of his thumb. "Charizard is gonna carbonize these pests." he uttered. "Brock, get Vulpix ready. Two Flamethrowers are better than one."  
  
Brock however, had turned his attention elsewhere. He had noticed the flashing black orb that Pikachu had so desperately tried to warn them about, and bent over to pick it up. It quivered in his palm, emitting an unnatural heat onto his night-chilled skin. "Uh...Ash? This thing is going crazy." he tapped his friend on the shoulder, but the teen had his fury filled eyes set on Team Rocket. "Ash? Um, Ash, you might want to take a look at this." The ball had begun to visibly shake now, its light growing stronger and faster by the second. "Ash?"  
  
"Not now Brock."  
  
"But Ash-"  
  
"What?" Ash exploded, whirling around. Brock brought the ball within inches of his face, letting the trainer get an eyeful of the flashing orb. "Oh...crap."  
  
"Crap?" Misty grabbed his arm, crushing it out of desperation. "What crap? Haven't we dealt with enough crap today? Ash, please don't say 'crap'..." her voice quavered.  
  
As the three teens watched the demon's prison going crazy, the room's Rocket triumvirate had managed to remove James' finger from the Pika-trap. After a brief celebration, they turned to resume their argument with Ash. After seeing the demonic ball dancing in the palm of Brock's hand, they stopped in mid-insult, their eyes going wide.  
  
"What's dat?" Meowth tilted his head curiously.  
  
As if to answer the talking cat, the orb exploded with a blinding flash, black mist quickly filling the entire room. All throughout the chamber, a mysterious, haunting shriek could be heard echoing in each of their minds.  
  
**Too bright! Too bright!**  
  
"The light!" Giselle screamed from across the room, cupping her hands to her mouth as she tried to get Ash's attention. "It can't stand the light."  
  
"Team Rocket!" Ash whirled about, taking several steps through the swirl of dark mist over to the triple-trouble trio. He snatched Pikachu from James' clutches, getting very little resistance from the stunned thief. "Does that contraption of yours have any more lights?"  
  
"Ha!" Meowth cackled, pulling a small remote from behind his back. "Does it have more lights? Dat's a good one, kid. Watch this!" As he thumbed a switch, several ports on the sound/light system began to open up, sprouting spotlights as if they were mechanical daisies.  
  
"Cover your eyes!" Jessie warned them, "This thing has more watts than an Electabuzz!" She did just as she had suggested, and the rest of them soon followed suit. With another button pushed, the lights came to life and drowned out the red ambiance of the ancient ball, literally turning everything in the room pure white.  
  
**AAAAAAAA! THE LIGHT! THE LIGHT!**  
  
Missingno coalesced into a single small black cloud and rushed down the tunnel leading outside. Once the lights had been turned off, the small battalion of trainers and Rockets followed as fast as their feet would carry them. After a moment of running, they were back out under the stars, looking wildly about for some sign of the demon Pokémon.  
  
Brock jabbed a finger up towards the sky, spotting the receding cloud superimposed on the full moon. "There he is!" he cried. He was about to pull out his Onix and help give chase when Ash laid a hand on his brawny shoulder.  
  
"Let him go, Brock..." Ash shook his head, trying to untangle Pikachu from the net with his free hand, "There'll be another time."  
* * *  
  
Team Rocket had "blasted off" in the exact opposite direction of Missingno as soon as they were sure that there wasn't any chance of his finding them, and the rescue teams sent by the Mount Moon Emergency Rescue Volunteers had come just after the nick of time. Nevertheless, Misty was relieved to see friendly faces that could help Seymour, his Pokémon, and Richie as well. The latter of the injured was just now being carted out on a stretcher, still quaking, his eyes darting about as if searching for something. As the paramedics passed her by, the boy reached out and snagged Misty's wrist, holding onto it with uncanny strength.  
  
"Please..." he whispered. Misty wasn't sure what he was pleading with her to do...she wasn't sure if Richie knew, either.  
  
"Don't worry Richie," she patted his hand, gently removing it from her arm and paying it across his chest. "Everything will be all right...you'll see." He nodded gratefully, laying his head back down on the stretcher and allowing them to carry him off without further fuss. Tears of sadness dripped down her face as she watched them haul the patients into the ambulance helicopters.  
  
"Part of him still knows who he is." Ash's voice uttered from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know that he was crying as well, though doing a much better job of hiding it than she was. She nodded, hugging her arms to her chest as she felt a chill run up her spine. Missingno had almost gotten them all...so why was it that Richie had to be the one to suffer? "I swear to you, Misty," Ash continued, wiping his eyes, "We'll find Missingno. We'll make him pay, and we'll get Richie's memories back."  
  
"Pika." Pikachu watched the paramedics load Richie's quaking form onto the Huey, gritting its teeth at its own inability to fight the powerful demon that had wasted its friend. "Cha. Pika, pikachu chu pi."  
  
"Strong words, Ketchum." Giselle appeared from Ash's flank, interrupting the two friends' shared moment of silence. "But you won't be the one to find Missingno. 'I' will." She looked off into the dawn-kissed sky; its brilliant colors were a welcome change from the gray-black cave walls that had haunted their nights. "He can't travel during the day, and he's obviously not in the cave anymore."  
  
Having thanked the paramedics and collecting Richie's Pokébelt, Brock jogged away from the helicopters as they took off. "Hey guys." he quipped, unaware of the grim discussion taking place. "The Volunteer guys were nice enough to let me hang on to Richie's Pokémon for him." He held up a single Pokéball from the others, examining it. "Even his Moltres..."  
  
Faster than Brock could react, Giselle's hand snaked out and snatched the contained Moltres out of the brawny trainer's hand. Before any of them could even get out a cry of protest, she unsheathed one of her own balls and tossed it out. With a bright flash and a storm of energy, the massive form of Zapdos erupted from the Pokéball and took flight. It made a single swooping pass, scooping Giselle up and climbing high into the air with a powerful screech.  
  
"What's her deal?" Ash scowled, his sadness replaced with annoyance. Misty and Brock merely shrugged, turning to leave. They were all too happy to leave the cursed prison of the Pokémopolitans, more than ready to let the past rest peacefully. Ash, on the other hand, let his thoughts stray to the path of the ancients. It seemed so much like his own now; fighting a war against evil creations. He pulled out the "Demon Ball", examining it as his mind wandered. He hadn't forgotten what the Goddess had told him. Missingno was only the beginning of his battle, and there were others like him that would test his skill. "What do you think, Pikachu? Think we can save the world one more time?" he asked his Pika-pal.  
  
"Cha!" Pikachu gave him a claws-up, grinning its toothy smile and jumping on top of his head. "Chu, pikachu!"  
  
"That's right, bring 'em on!" Ash laughed with his Pokémon, running after Brock and Misty. Despite everything that had happened... despite the enormous weight he had inherited onto his shoulders...Ash was actually laughing. A sinking feeling told him that he might not have much to laugh at in the future. Destiny had played its opening move, and now it only had one piece left: it was now down to one Ash Ketchum against an army of darkness.  
  
"Bring them all on. We'll take 'em down, just like we always have."   
  
End  
  
Quiet Hindsight  
Thanks to everyone who answered the call and wrote me after they read The League Games, Part II. Authors crave attention, that's why we write. I guess you could kind of call this story the end of "Season One" of BadgeQuest. That doesn't mean that there'll be a summer of repeats, though. I'll be gearing up for season two lickety-split, don't you worry. Until then, this is Cyberwraith9 giving a shout out to my peeps and saying:  
"The best thieves are writers, and the best writers are thieves."  
  
  
Next- BadgeQuest  
If At First You Don't Succeed... 


End file.
